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THE '98 CAMPAIGN 



OF THE 



6th MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.V. 






£ 



vP 






THE '98 CAMPAIGN 



6th Massachusetts, U.S. V. 



BY 



LIEUT. FRANK E. EDWARDS 



With J 9 Illustrations from Original Photographs 




v V ' t 'Tr'.F 



38567 JUN 12 







BOSTON 
LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY 

1899 






34633 

Copyright, /Sqq, 
By Little, Brown, and Company 



-^// rights reserved 

. deceived. 




SSntbersitg JJrrss 

John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, U.S.A. 



Introduction 



THE Spanish-American War of 1808 was the 
justification of the Massachusetts Volunteer 
Militia. When Governor Wolcott sent to Wash- 
ing-ton to ascertain what would be required of the 
Commonwealth in case war was declared, he was 
informed by General Miles that the militia of the 
coast States would in all probability be used 
only for coast defence, and that the militia of the 
interior States would be used for any foreign 
expedition that might be determined upon. 

This policy was almost instantly abandoned 
upon the outbreak of war, because it was found 
that the militia of the interior States, with some 
exceptions, were neither equipped nor drilled, 
and Massachusetts gladly did not only her own 
particular work, but the work originally cut out 
for others. The country asked Massachusetts to 
strip herself of her trained soldiers for the use of 
the Nation, and no more selfish policy was allowed 
to exist by the people of the State or the soldiers 
sprung from among them. 



vi Introduction 

But one regiment mustered into the National 
service was used for coast defence, and of the 
lour others summoned on the first call, three 
saw active and all saw foreign service. This, I 
believe, is a larger proportion than any other 
State actually sent to the front. It was not due 
to favoritism in Washington. It was due to 
the fact that the spirit of patriotic enthusiasm 
among the young men of Massachusetts had 
overcome popular ridicule, had swept beyond 
the dress tunic and bouquet-in-the-gun-barrel 
stage of military existence, and had produced a 
body of soldiers. Dress uniforms had been for 
years discarded for camp work, applied tactics 
had taken the place of parade, and h'iegspiel and 
rifle practice had elbowed out " social events." 

So-called " militia companies " from some States 
came to the front with less than ten per cent of 
their original members. There was more than 
one instance of a whole regiment's ignominiously 
turning tail when asked to face something be- 
sides the flutter of handkerchiefs and a brass 
band. From such experiences this Common- 
wealth was free. Massachusetts had been for 
years steadily weeding out the parade soldier 
from her ranks, and the result was not delay in 
filling her quota, but serious embarrassment in 
deciding who should not go. The six regiments 



Introduction vii 

and the naval brigade mustered from this State 
into the National service were not a mere uni- 
formed mob of greenhorns, but every one of 
them a trained organization, their ranks increased 
to the proper size largely by the re-enlistment of 
former members. In more than one instance, 
men who had been discharged as officers re- 
enlisted as privates. 

The troops of Massachusetts saw, proportion- 
ated, more of the war in the West Indies than 
the troops from any other State, simply because 
they reported for duty better armed, better 
equipped, better trained than the troops from any 
other State. The Commonwealth had steadily 
pressed home upon the militia the notion that 
the muster field was a workshop, not a picnic 
grove, and when the emergency came Massachu- 
setts found that her grimy old fatigue uniforms 
covered men. 

Among the four regiments of infantry selected 
on the first call was the Sixth. A general order 
had suggested to company commanders the 
advisability of sounding their companies and 
collecting the names of additional volunteers 
to fill the required quota. A meeting of officers 
was called at the State House at the same hour 
that the Colonel was called to confer with the 
Governor. Colonel Woodward walked from the 



viii Introduction 

Governor's room straight into the meeting* of his 
officers. Every officer was present or accounted 
for. The Governor's selection was declared, the 
roll was called, and a report from each company 
and the field music made. One hour after Gov- 
ernor Wolcott delegated the Colonel of the Sixth 
Infantry to raise a volunteer regiment, the Adju- 
tant of the Sixth was in the office of Adjutant 
General Dalton with the report that the regi- 
ment was raised, that every officer, line, field, 
and staff, had volunteered, and that the Colonel 
requested the services of a medical examiner 
and a mustering officer. 

This request was not granted. The infantry 
regiments were sent to camp according to the 
seniority of their colonels, — the Sixth being the 
the last of all. The bitter cold of those spring 
nights and the short supply of blankets were a 
foretaste of real campaigning, but were cheer- 
fully endured. The spirit of Massachusetts was 
shown by men who broke down and wept like 
children when denied by the stern decree of the 
army surgeon the envied privilege of bearing 
arms for the flag. 

The richest civilized nation asked its sons to 
light with obsolete weapons against men whom 
the poorest civilized nation had equipped with 
ordnance of the latest pattern. Yet the only 



Introduction ix 

tears that fell came from those who were not 
allowed to carry the Springfield against the 
Mauser. 

It is not surprising that even the most censo- 
rious of war correspondents should have, in his 
history of the war, set down of material like this 
when under fire 

" The Sixth Massachusetts behaved well."* 

CURTIS GUILD, Jr. 



The Army 



" O n the lst day of Apri1, 1898, the stren & th of tlie 

v^ army was 2,143 officers and 26,040 enlisted men, 
a total of 28,183. War with the kingdom of Spain was 
declared April 21, 1898. 

" On May 31, 125,000 volunteers had been mustered 
into the service. In August, 1898, the regular army 
numbered 56,365, the volunteer army 207,244, — a total 
of 263,609. 

" These figures of themselves indicate that an im- 
mense work was thrown upon the War Department. 
After thirty-three years of peace, during a great part of 
which the army did not exceed 26,000 men, it suddenly 
became necessary to arm, clothe, feed, and equip more 
than a quarter of a million. 

" The sudden emergency which called our people to 
arms after an interval of half a century of peace with 
all foreign powers was met by the War Department with 
earnestness and energy. The situation found the coun- 
try unprepared with any large stock of arms, ammu- 
nition, clothing, supplies, and equipments. That they 
were duly provided, and that the numerous demands 
on the industries of our people were met so promptly, 
will remain one of the marvels of history.'" 



Preface 

THE history of every regiment is dear to its 
members, while to those which have received 
the baptism of fire it becomes sacred. 

The history of the 6th Massachusetts in the 
Spanish-American War is unique in that its cam- 
paign was almost a bloodless one, the absence of 
battles and the few months it was in the field 
rendering its experiences different in kind and 
degree from those regiments which were in the Civil 
War almost as many years, and even from its sister 
regiments in Cuba in '98. And while the following 
account is written with a full appreciation of the 
seemingly insurmountable difficulties overcome by 
the War Department in an incredibly short space 
of time, in addition to the necessary hardships of 
army life, and is not intended in any sense as a 
"lament," there is that to record of interest not 
only to the regiment itself but to its friends. 

Deprived of the tonic of battles and a danger- 
ous environment, the life of the regiment became 
one of existence in a land of plenty ; but, owing to 
the distance and difficulty of communication with 



xii Preface 

home, and the fact that no pay had been received 
for three months, the men were nnable to help 
out the scant army rations with the simplest fare. 
Discouragement was only averted by the con- 
sciousness that Uncle Sam was ignorant of the 
life of his children, and would disapprove it, to- 
gether with the comfort that came in the message 
sent by Governor Wolcott to the President " that 
the lives of her sons are precious in the eyes of 
the Commonwealth," and that when the health 
of her soldiers is at stake, Massachusetts feels 
that " no effort can be too great, and no expendi- 
ture too lavish." The men hoped as long as the 
war was over and the country did not need the 
lives which they had freely offered, that they 
might at least so live as to return home with 
sound bodies. The perspective of a year has 
soft cued the harsh liues of experience, and the 
regiment again in health views the long list of 
casualties of other regiments and feels thankful 
that the chapter "In Memoriam" contains no 
other names. 

For this reason the story has been told rather as 
a narrative than by the sharp-cut events of the 
daily diary of a fighting campaign. 

'Hie trail lias been rough in places, and at times 
the load so heavy as to make it desirable to drop 
unnecessary burdens. I have finished the course 



Preface xiii 

with the principal outfit, trusting to the kindly 
judgment of those with whom 1 have walked in 
the ranks for the sake of all concerned not to ask 
for the abandoned articles. 

Acknowledgments are due to many for photo- 
graphs and letters, also to the press for courtesies 
received. If any paragraphs appear without credit 
to the writer, it is unintentional. 






<r 






Contents 



Chapter Pace 

I. The Call for Service 1 

II. Reception in Baltimore . 11 

III. Camp Alger 25 

IV. The "Yale " 45 

V. GuANICA 74 

VI. Resignation of Officers at Ponce 90 

VII. Utuado 132 

VIII. The Hospitals . . 186 

IX. The "Bay State" 206 

X. Arecibo 2-24 

XI. Porto Rico 242 

Xn. Homeward Bound 259 

ROSTER 293 

IX MEMORIAM 333 






. 



List of Illustrations 

Page 

Colonel Edmund Rice Frontispiece 

Troops Passing through Boston 5 

Governor Woloott Presenting the Commissions ... 8 
Maryland and Massachusetts. Baltimore Welcomes 

the 6th Mass. Reg't 11 

6th Mass. at Mt. Royal Station, B. & 0. Railroad, 

Baltimore 1 ~ 

Maryland's Greeting to Massachusetts -1 

Camp Alger -< 

Shaving under Difficulties 41 

Admiral Sampson and General Miles 46 

"The Yale" 47 

On Board the "Yale" 57 

A Shower Bath 63 

The Harbor of Guanica 70 

Major Edward J. Gihon 83 

Major General Nelson A. Miles 91 

Spanish Block-House 95 

Native Laundry 96 

H. W. Gross ( .»7 

Five Minutes' Rest 101 

After Cocoanuts 103 

" Brace up, Boys, there 's Old Glory ! " 107 

A Company Street 108 

A Group of Natives HO 

Colonel Charles Woodward 1 1 ;1) 

Headquarters 116 

Major Charles K. Darling H? 



xviii List ol Illustrations 

Page 

Mr. Dwight L. Rogers, of the Y. M. C. A 121 

Map of Porto Rico 133 

Road from Ponce to Harbor 135 

Colonel Edmund Pice 137 

A Native Express 139 

"Dutch Yoke" . . . 140 

" A Porto Riean Picnic " 141 

Natives Bathing at " Mud Hole " ....... 150 

Utuado 151 

The Soldiers' Cemetery, Utuado 155 

Erederic A. Washburn 157 

Mrs. Colonel Rice 161 

Heavy Marching Order Inspection 163 

Utuado Market Scene 167 

Going to the Concert 168 

Sunday in Utuado 174 

A Native Pack Train 176 

Chaplain George D. Rice 170 

Starting for Outpost Duty 182 

Governor Wolcott 183 

Native Water Carrier 185 

Major George E. Dow 187 

Hospital Laundry 194 

Miss Muriel G. Gait 105 

Dr. Crockett 108 

Hospital Train for Arecibo 200 

Convalescents on the Way to the "Bay State" . . . 201 

Hospital Stewards 203 

Miss Sadie Parsons 221 

Spanish Soldiers entertaining American Soldiers . . 225 

Three of a Kind 227 

Arecibo 229 

Charity 234 

Major George H. Priest 237 

The Plaza in Utuado 245 



List of Illustrations xix 

Page 

A Suburban Residence 250 

San Juan, Porto Rico 261 

The "Mississippi" 271 

The Fitchburg Banquet Hall 27'J 

Lieut. Col. Butler Ames 283 

Statue of Columbus, San Juan 287 

Major E. J. Gihon, 2d Lt. F. E. Edwards, 1st Lt. Louis 

D. Hunton 295 

Captain Alexander Greig, 1st Lt. Thomas Livingston, 

2d Lt. Fred D. Costello 301 

Captain Warren E. Sweetser, 1st Lt. George R. Barn- 
stead, 2d Lt. Heur}' A. Thayer 313 

Captain Cyrus H. Cook 317 

Captain W. J. Williams, 1st Lt. W. H. Jackson, 2d Lt. 

G. W. Braxton 323 

2d Lieut. Arthur J. Draper 327 

There 's no Place like Home 331 

Charles F. Parker, Myris II . Warren, George Tyler 

Cutting, George C. Wenden 337 

Herbert C. Bellamy, John J. Delaney, William E. 

Walters 341 

Willis H. Page, Ernest D. Marshall, John O. Cole, 

Leon E. Warren 345 

Ralph Prescott Hosmer, George Edward Adams, Charles 

Abraham Hart, George Henry Sayles 349 

Martin Welch, Charles Edward McGregor, John E. 

Riley, Patrick Kelly 353 

Paul T. French, Asa B. Trask, Arthur L. Wilkinson, 

Charles E. Johnson . 357 



The '98 Campaign 



OF 



The 6th Massachusetts, U.S.V. 



CHAPTER I 

THE CALL FOR SERVICE 



THAT long period of uncertainty and anxiety 
that preceded the declaration of war, when 
the national consciousness was struggling: on the 
one hand to do its duty to a downtrodden people, 
and on the other to avert the horrors of war, was 
suddenly brought to an end by the tragedy of the 
blowing up of the " Maine." The investigation insti- 
tuted by our government reported to Congress that 
she had been blown up by outside forces, but no 
formal charge was made against Spain for this act 
either then or later. Notwithstanding the tone of 
this report, the public at large was so strongly in- 
fluenced by the calamity that, perhaps half uncon- 
sciously, it turned the balance of indecision to the 
side of action. That the unspoken opinion then 
formed has since become crystallized as fact is 
shown by one of our latest histories, which with- 



2 The Sixth Massachusetts 

out reservation attributes the blowing up of the 
" Maine " to Spain. 

The President, in his war message to Congress 
on the 25th of April, said : — 

" I now recommend to your honorable body the adop- 
tion of a joint resolution declaring that a state of war 
exists between the United States of America and the 
Kingdom of Spain, and I urge speedy action thereon to 
the end that the definition of the international status of 
the United States as a belligerent power may be made 
known, and the assertion of all its rights and the main- 
tenance of all its duties in the conduct of a public war 
may be assured. 

[Signed] " William McKlnley." 

This war bill was passed without delay, and im- 
mediately notice of it was sent to all the repre- 
sentatives of foreign nations. 

Thus ended the period of suspense, and war. that 
most terrible of all words, which to the younger 
generation had become a tradition, was pronounced 
by the President as existing fact. 

A new experience and problem was waiting for 
our nation. To be at war with a foreign race, on 
soil saturated with European traditions, with a 
foreign language to contend with, and in a climate 
and season sufficient in themselves to defeat an 
army, was not a cheerful or promising outlook. 

Our army numbered but 25,000 men, and we 
must be prepared to resist not only attack at home 



The Call for Service 3 

over our great extent of coast-line east and west, 
but be able to place in the field for foreign service 
an army large enough to contend with both Spain 
and climates. 

Our papers had for weeks emphasized the danger 
of tropical fevers, sunstrokes, lack of food, treach- 
eries of natives, etc., so when the call for volun- 
teers came, there was no man so ignorant but he 
was entirely familiar with the possibilities he had 
to face. 

The war was to be primarily an aggressive one, 
and there was not that stimulus for men to enlist 
that comes when home and family are threatened 
by the enemy. On the other hand it was to be an 
enlistment that might mean Cuba or Manila, home 
service or Spain, sickness or death. On April the 
23d the President issued the first call for 125,000 
volunteers. 

The proportion of men wanted for the war in '98 
was to the number required in '61 from a given 
population only as one to fifty. This enabled the 
government to accept only men who were in a 
thoroughly good condition physically, and to place 
in the field regiments composed of practically 
picked men from a population not decimated or 
weakened by previous drafts. 

Another and not the least element of strength 
which entered into the make-up of the army was 



4 The Sixth Massachusetts 

the " moral " force of men having volunteered. 
There was no half-hearted obedience from drafted 
men, but the willing response of soldiers who of- 
fered freely and willingly their services, and lives 
if need be, for the good of their country, with an 
intelligent understanding of what thev were doing. 
Doubtless there were cases of blustering and igno- 
rant revengefulness shown, but this usually ex- 
hausted itself in the use of letter paper decorated 
with star-spangled banners, or in wearing sus- 
penders embroidered with " Remember the Maine." 
These were the few. On the whole the regiments 
were enlisted in an atmosphere of cool judgment and 
good sense, as part of an army to stand by force, 
if necessary, for the righting of a national w r rong. 
And the men individually, while not filled perhaps 
with the holy zeal of the Crusades of the Middle 
Ages, did have a strong sense of the honor of tak- 
ing part in a crusade against the degradation and 
ignorance, resulting from a tyrannical government, 
and of supplanting it with the life and privileges 
belonging to an enlightened free people. 

The make-up and motives actuating the regi- 
ments were essentially the same. Men from every 
walk in life rilled the ranks, — the law T yer, the 
mechanic, the laboring-man, the college student, 
marching shoulder to shoulder. One of the stock 
questions asked one another was, " What induced 



The Call for Service 7 

you to enlist?" The answers were as various as 
they were evasive, ranging all the way from the 
man who had dined "too well, but not wisely" 
and who had enlisted immediately after dinner, to 
the man whose avowed principal motive was patri- 
otism. And if sympathy with the famous remark, 
" Our country ! In her intercourse with foreign 
nations may she always be in the right ; but our 
country, right or wrong ! " can be called enlisting 
from patriotism, then the great majority of the 
men must have that credit, for it was for their 
country they enlisted. 

"First in the field" was the motto of the "old 
6th," and as worthy successors, the Gth Massachu- 
setts, U. S. V., was the first regiment reporting to 
the Adjutant General of Massachusetts as being 
ready for service. 

The call for volunteers was issued on the 23d of 
April, and the Gth of May found the regiment in 
camp at South Framingham, awaiting orders. 

The twelve companies which composed the regi- 
ment were from the following towns and cities : 
Company A of Wakefield, Companies B and D of 
Fitchburg, Companies C and G of Lowell, Company 
E of South Framingham, Company F of Marlboro, 
Company H of Stoneham, Company I of Concord, 
Company K of Southbridge, Company L of Boston, 
and Company M of Milford. 



8 



The Sixth Massachusetts 



On the 12th, Companies A, I, C, and F were 
mustered in by Lieutenant E. M. Weaver, U. S. A., 
the others on the day following. 

Life at Camp Dewey was pleasant, as the near- 
ness to home enabled the men to live comfortably, 
and the distance from the enemy eliminated night 
alarms. The clays were passed in routine drill 
and the fulfilment of ordinary camp duties. The 
members of the 6th were fully conscious of the 




Governor Wolcott Presenting the Commissions. 



position they occupied as the successors of the " old 
6th," and that the eyes of the country would con- 
trast the record of '98 with that of '61, and they 
asked that the mantle of the " old 6th " might fall 
on them. On the 18th, Governor Wolcott visited 
the camp, reviewed the troops, and presented the 
newly appointed officers with their commissions. 



The Call for Service 9 

Field and Staff Officers. 

Charles F. Woodward, Colonel ; George H. Chaffin, 
Lieutenant Colonel; George H. Taylor, Major; Charles 
K. Darling, Major; George H. Priest, Major; Curtis 
Guild, Jr., Adjutant; William Dusseault, Chaplain; 
Stanwood G. Sweetser, 1st Lieutenant and Quarter- 
master; Oris H. Marion, Major and Surgeon; George 
F. Dow, 1st Lieutenant and Assistant Surgeon ; Fred- 
erick A. Washburn, Jr., 1st Lieutenant and Assistant 
Surgeon. 

Later Adjutant Guild received an appointment 
on General Lee's staff, resigning his commission 
in the Gth, being succeeded by Lieutenant Butler 
Ames of Battery A. Two days later orders were 
received at 11 a. m. to move at once to Camp 
Alger. At 1 p. m. tents were struck, the ground 
policed, and at six o'clock the regiment was on the 
train at South Framingham en route for the South, 
having been reviewed by Governor Wolcott and 
his staff as it passed Fort Dalton. The regiment 
moved in three sections, a battalion making a 
section, with the field and staff officers and band 
in the first. Worcester, Springfield, and Pittsfield, 
each vied with one another in the heart v welcome 
they gave the troops as they passed through to 
New York by way of Albany. 

In '61, when the Gth was making this same 
journey, word was received at Philadelphia of the 



io The Sixth Massachusetts 

reception it might expect in Baltimore. Likewise 
in '98, when Philadelphia was reached, a message 
was received from the Mayor of Baltimore, stating 
what treatment this regiment might expect at the 
hands of its citizens. 

" Colonel C. F. Woodward, 6th Massachusetts Vol- 
unteers, en route : Have arranged reception and lunch. 
Short parade from Mt. Royal Station to Camden Station. 
Wire hour of your arrival. 

" Mayor U. T. Malster." 

Colonel Woodward also received a telegram from 
the War Department granting him permission to 
stop over at Baltimore and march across the city. 



Reception in Baltimore 1 1 



CHAPTER II 



RECEPTION IX BALTIMORE 

"Next come the Massachusetts men, 
Gathered from city, glade, and glen. 
Xo hate for South, but love for all 
They answered to their country's call. 
The path to them seemed broad and bright, 
They sought no foeman and no fight, 
As on they marched, their flag before 
Xew England's braves, through Baltimore." 

(Dedicated to the &th by J. W. Forney in '61.) 

SINCE leaving Boston, the regiment had met 
with an uninterrupted series of ovations at 
the stations it passed, being greeted with cheers and 
favors of a more substantial character wherever a 
stop was made. The patriot- 
ism of the country was at 
fever heat, and a uniformed 
regiment was the signal for 
showing it. Not until Balti- 
more was reached, however, 
did the regiment realize the 
strength of feeling in that section of the country, 
or the full meaning of Southern patriotism. The 
memory of that famous march of the 6th Massa- 




i 2 The Sixth Massachusetts 

chusetts through Baltimore in '61 was revived, and 
the eyes of the country were turned on that city to 
see what the sequel would be. Some even remem- 
bered the days when the following account appeared 
in every paper. 

Colonel Jones' Official Report to Major 
W. H. Clemence. 

Washington-, D. C, Apr. 22, 1861. 

After leaving Philadelphia I received intimation that 
our journey through Baltimore would be resisted. I 
caused ammunition to be distributed and arms loaded; 
and went personally through the cars and issued the 
following order : 

" The regiment will march through Baltimore in 
columns of sections, arms at will. You will undoubt- 
edly be insulted, abused and perhaps assaulted, to which 
you must pay no attention whatever; but march with 
your faces square to the front and pay no attention to 
the mob even if they throw stones, bricks, and other mis- 
siles : but if you are fired upon, and any one of you is 
hit, your officers will order you to fire. Do not fire into 
any promiscuous crowds, but select any man whom you 
see aiming at you, and lie sure you drop him.'" 

Reaching Baltimore, horses were attached the instant 
the locomotive was detached, and the cars were driven 
at a rapid pace across the city. After the cars contain- 
ing seven companies had reached Washington depot 
the track behind them was barricaded, and the cars con- 
taining the band and the following companies — CD, 
T, L — were vacated, and they proceeded to march in 
accordance with orders and had proceeded but a short 



Reception in Baltimore i 3 

distance before they were furiously attacked by ;i shower 
of missiles which came faster as they proceeded. They 
increased their step to double quick, which seemed to 
infuriate the mob, as it evidently impressed them with 
the idea that the soldiers did not dare fire, or had no 
ammunition. Pistol shots were fired from the ranks 
and one soldier fell dead. 

The order " Fire " was given and it was executed, in 
consequence of which several of the mob fell and the 
soldiers advanced quickly. The Mayor of Baltimore 
placed himself at the head of the column beside Captain 
Follonsbee, and proceeded with them a short distance, 
assuring them that he would protect them, and begging 
him not to let the men fire; but the mayor's patience 
was soon exhausted, and he seized a musket from the 
hands of one of the men, and killed a man therewith; 
and a policeman who was in advance of the column also 
shot a man with a revolver. They at last reached the 
cars, and they started immediately for Washington. On 
going through the train I found there were about one 
hundred and thirty missing including the band and 
field music. Our baggage was seized and we have not 
as yet been able to recover any of it. I have found it 
very difficult to get reliable information in regard to the 
killed and wounded. 

As the men went into the cars I caused the blinds to 

be closed, and took every precaution to prevent any 

shadow of offence to the people of Baltimore ; but still 

the stones flew thick and fast into the train, and it was 

with the utmost difficulty that I could prevent the 

troops from leaving the cars and revenging the death of 

their comrades. 

Edward F. Jones, 

Colonel Sixth Regiment M. V. M. in service of U. S. 



14 The Sixth Massachusetts 

Wk When this news of the attack of the Sixth was 
received in Boston, the most intense excitement fol- 
lowed. Men gathered in groups about the streets, 
while crowds surrounded the bulletin boards of the 
newspapers to learn the particulars. If anything was 
needed to arouse the patriotism of the North, it had now 
occurred. Public meetings were held in various parts 
of the city ; merchants, lawyers, physicians, and mem- 
bers of other professions met, and offers of service and 
money were offered for the use of the State by the 
Boston banks and banks of other cities for the State's 
immediate use, trusting to the honor of the legislature 
to reimburse them when it set. Numerous offers of 
money were made to the Governor by private indivi- 
duals as aid for soldiers' families. Nor were women 
lagging behind the men in enthusiasm. Rich and poor, 
high and low, all offered their services for the prepara- 
tion of bandages and lint, the making of garments, 
attendance in hospitals, or any other service compatible 
with their sex." 

These old letters are inserted not in any degree 
to resurrect the skeleton of the " late unpleasant- 
ness " between North and South, but that the re- 
ception tendered the 6th in Baltimore in '98 may 
receive additional lustre from having the back- 
ground of the history of '01. 

When the train bearing the divisions of the 
6th Massachusetts arrived in Baltimore;, the 
crowd had spread over every inch of available 
ground, around up the slopes facing the station, 
giving the effect of a great amphitheatre, which 



Reception in Baltimore 15 

was brightened by the colors of summer gowns 
and bonnets and hundreds of bouquets of flowers. 
Under a blue sky floated innumerable flags in every 
direction, while the Fifth Regimental Corps Band, 
early on the ground, entertained the crowd with 
patriotic airs. " Dixie," " Yankee Doodle," " Mary- 
land, my Maryland," and " The Star Spangled 
Banner," were all played and received equal ap- 
plause, even if in the hearts of a few " Dixie " 
was responsible for a touch of sadness. Col. 
Frank Supplee was chairman of the arrangement 
committee, prominent among whom was Arthur 
George Brown, Esq., a son of George William 
Brown, who was Mayor of Baltimore in 1861, 
and who bravely marched at the head of the 
"6th" regiment when it was threatened by the 
mob. Amongst the citizens' committee also were 
a number of the Confederate Veterans' Associ- 
ation, who laughingly confessed to having thrown 
rocks in '61, but they were throwing flowers 
in '98. 

When the regiment landed from the train it was 
to find itself in a station gay with national colors 
in every shape and form with streamers bearing 
the words, "A hearty welcome to the 6th Regi- 
ment." Another had the words, " Maryland and 
Massachusetts. The 5th is in the field, the 6th is 
While a third bore the inscription of 



i 6 The Sixth Massachusetts 

Webster's immortal words, " Liberty and union, 
now and forever, one and inseparable." 

When the regiment appeared, the enthusiasm of 
the people in and about the station was without 
limit. Women waved their handkerchiefs and 
men hugged each other and danced. The sound 
of the hoarse cheering outside, mingled with the 
strains of the band, floated into the station and 
gave the tired soldiers their first taste of true 
Maryland hospitality. It was known that a col- 
ored company was in the regiment, and there was 
an interrogation as to what its reception would 
be. But the wave of hospital jle welcome with 
which the men were met broke over all barriers 
of race and color. All shared alike in the recep- 
tion they received, and no one knew or cared 
whether a man was black or white, so long as he 
had 6 on his hat. The men were stupefied. 
One young soldier remarked: "You people make 
us ashamed of ourselves. We haven't done any- 
thing great. If we get half a chance, we will try 
to deserve something like this when we come back, 
but your reception is so warm that we feel as if we 
are sailing under false colors." Souvenirs of wel- 
come were given to each man, of which the " cut " 
is a fac-simile. The battalion was formed upon 
the platform and the order to march was given, 
when they stepped out to the tune of " On the 




H 
iJ 
< 

cq 

< 
o 



Reception in Baltimore 19 

Banks of the Wabash " and marched into the main 
plaza, where another storm of cheers, hand-clap- 
ping, waving of flags, and other demonstrations 
of enthusiasm were shown. Flowers, cigarettes, 
and cigars were showered upon the men without 
limit. 

As the troopers marched out of the train-shed a 
graceful act was performed through the efforts of 
several members of the reception committee. Two 
small boys, Masters David Wilson Miller Glass and 
Ferdinand C. Latrobe, Jr., scattered over a bushel 
of roses and other flowers in their path amidst 
much cheering. It was a happy thought aptly 
carried to consummation, and the smiling faces 
of the soldiers showed that they appreciated the 
courtesy. 

Mayor Malster was introduced to the members 
of the regiment by the marshal of the day — Colo- 
nel Supplee — and that official immediately began 
his address from the portico. He said : — 

"Soldiers of the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment of 
Infantry, I join with the citizens of Baltimore to-day 
in the deferred opportunity of thirty-seven years of con- 
gratulating you and offering you the hospitality and 
protection of our beloved city. Soldiers of Massachu- 
setts, the latch-string does not alone hang out of the 
doors of the citizens of Baltimore, but the door is open, 
and we ask you to come in. You need have no fear 
to-day. Look around you and you will see that there 



20 The Sixth Massachusetts 

are none that would do anything that could wound even 
the most sensitive feeling. You have inherited the 
legacy left by the 'old 6th,' and we are sure you 
will prove yourselves worthy of that proud name. In 
history their names are written in the blood of patriots. 
You are now going to the front in the cause of humanity 
and right, but you are going against a foe that is not 
worthy of your steel. When you return, however, we 
hope that each individual will have made for himself 
a place in history, and I am sure that you will do so as 
the loyal sons of loyal fathers.'* 

The Mayor then presented, in the following 
words, the magnificent floral tribute which had 
been secured for the command to Colonel Wood- 
ward, of the 6th regiment : — 

" Colonel, I wish to present your command, in behalf 
of the citizens of Baltimore, with this small token of 
their good-will. I trust that you will not measure their 
feelings by the size of the gift, nor }~et by its life, but 
I sincerely hope that its fragrance will cement forever 
the friendship of Maryland and Massachusetts." 

Colonel Woodward accepted the gift on the part 
of the regiment in a few words. 

" I have," he said, " no words with which I can 
adequately express my feeling in this matter, and appre- 
ciation for the honors which you are conferring upon us. 
The present war, if it has done nothing else, has had 
one grand and glorious effect : it has cemented the 
country as solid as a rock. To-day, from Maryland to 
Massachusetts, from the Lakes to the Gulf, from the 



Reception in Baltimore 21 

Atlantic to the Pacific, we are as one. I thank yon 
again, good people of Baltimore, and God be with you 
now and forevermore." 

The crowning event of the day, if it be possible 
to speak of one event over another as claiming 
that distinction, was this presentation to the regi- 
ment of a magnificent floral piece from the citizens 
of Baltimore. It was an immense bank of red 
and white roses artistically arranged on a litter 
and carried in the procession by two colored por- 
ters from the ML Royal station. The flowers 
were held in place by long streamers of blue and 
white ribbon, bearing the following inscription : 

" Maryland honors Massachusetts. 
Baltimore welcomes 6th Mass. 
God preserve you and bring you safely home. 

When leaving, every man, as he boarded the train, 
was handed a box of luncheon, in each of which 
was a card bearing the following words of welcome : 

W M M ] ) M 3 J ^^ FTCarpland's Greeting to fftassachusctts, 

Baltimore and Boston Clasp hands. 




Balllmore mtshes 6«a Spied lo Ihe tHstorlc 

. . 6tb Massachusetts Volunteers, 



* Bulled Country honors them mho art rallplns ■» her teltnte. t&ay ihe ntanor? 
ot 18*1 be ctr.Kcd pp the ncjeomt 01 1898. 



wwamm w M w w 



Do w« £ooe J>ou?-Dciocp. Baltimore, may 21. 1898. 

The stimulus of adversity being removed from 
the regiment, they followed in the wake of all 



22 The Sixth Massachusetts 

such experiences. Outposts were forgotten in 
sight of the decorated interiors, and guards were 
asking the password from the sex who are sup- 
posed to figure in war only in the hospitals. The 
entire regiment fell to eating and drinking, and 
became an easy subject for the enemy. 

The good resolutions of emulating the example 
of the " old 6th " were entirely forgotten, and, as 
great warriors have been known to do before, so 
the 6th in the light of the eyes of Baltimore went 
to pieces. Yes, almost literally ; for when they 
boarded the train nothing but their cartridge belts 
kept their coats on, for all their buttons had 
been left in Baltimore. But the Capitol was not 
waiting to be saved, and there was no prospect 
of sleeping in " Speakers' " chairs, or of lunching 
off the Honorables' desks as the " old 6th " had 
done. 

Much that was written regarding the march 
through Baltimore in '61, though conceived in a 
different spirit, is applicable to the changed con- 
dition existing to-day. Thus may the following 
lines be appropriated : — 

k " Whatever rank among the conflicts of the late war 
the march of the ever famous Cth through Baltimore 
may, as a military movement, ultimately assume, it can 
never fail to confer proud distinction upon its heroes 
from its peculiarity of time, 'place, and incidents. " 



Reception in Baltimore 23 

This reception was without question the most 
dramatic event of the war on American soil. For 
it was not a mere reception and patriotic demon- 
stration. It was the new national spirit rising 
Phoenix-like from the ashes of '61. It was not 
Baltimore and Massachusetts alone joining hands, 
it was the meeting of the conservative representa- 
tives of a New South and a New North under 
circumstances of the deepest import in a national 
crisis. 

Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, who had gone over 
from Washington to meet the regiment, said: — 

" Baltimore has made histoiy. She has let fall a rose- 
bud of affection which will touch the heart of the entire 
nation. No city but Baltimore could have performed 
such an act. She has lifted up her name to the very 
pinnacle of renown. Upon that over-topping monu- 
ment of splendid fraternal patriotism the entire world 
may gaze and see there for themselves the character 
and splendor of our people." 

Adapted from Verses of '61. 

" The sons of Massachusetts they marched unto the war, 
And on that day upon the way they stopped at Baltimore, 
And trustingly expected the customary cheers 
"Which every loyal city gave the Yankee volunteers. 

" So generous grew the multitude they rushed at them amain 
And a great storm of flowers came pouring down like rain, 
And a thundering clamor such as mortal seldom hears. 
They tried to cross the city, did the Yankee volunteers. 



24 The Sixth Massachusetts 

" Those very numerous luncheons laid many a soldier low. 
Still the kindly hearts forbore to give the fatal blow 
Till all the people shouted, ' They 're nearly dead from cheers, 
We '11 hurry up and finish those Yankee volunteers.' " . 

Then unto each brave soldier a little box was given 
That showed a long blue card where the lid was riven: 
" Do we love you'? Dewey." — The soldiers said that great 
Like all the rest in Baltimore in 1S98. 

"To the Mayor of Baltimore : — 

" The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is profoundly 
touched by the brotherly and enthusiastic welcome ex- 
tended by the mayor and citizens of Baltimore to the 
Sixth Massachusetts Regiment, United States Volun- 
teers. In the name of the Commonwealth I beg you to 
accept her grateful thanks. 

k * Roger Wolcott." 



Camp Alger 25 



CHAPTER III 

CAMP ALGER 

WASHINGTON not being reached until late 
in the evening, there was no formal parade, 
the regiment crossing directly to the station where 
the Dim Loring train was waiting, and boarded it 
as tired as a lot of schoolboys after a holiday. A 
block in the road delaying the train the troops 
remained on board until the following morning, 
when they marched directly to the camp, and were 
assigned the location just vacated by the District. 
of Columbia troops. 

The environment of the camp was far from 
being in a proper condition for troops, and a pol- 
luted stream bordering; the o-rounds added to the 
danger of the situation. Drinking water had to 
be carried a long distance from wells and springs 
until artesian wells were sunk near the camp, 
after which a bountiful supply of good water was 
obtained. 

The regiment had wall tents, good food, and was 
as comfortable as could be expected in the heat and 
dust of Virginia in June. Passes were issued for 



26 The Sixth Massachusetts 

the men to go to Washington, giving all who 
desired it a chance to visit the Capitol. 

On the 22d of May, Lieut. Butler Ames re- 
ceived the appointment of adjutant of the regi- 
ment as successor to Curtis Guild, Jr., who had 
resigned his commission, and was immediately 
appointed by Major General Graham as corps engi- 
neer officer, with instructions to devote all the time 
he could spare from his regimental duties to secur- 
ing a proper supply of water. Artesian wells were 
driven in different parts of the camp, the first one 
being near the camp of the 6th, and this one gave 
a plentiful supply of good water for the 6th 
Massachusetts and the 8th Ohio regiments, which 
were camped on adjoining sites. 

May the 2 2d was a gala day, as President 
McKinley, Secretary Alger, General Miles, and a 
number of members of the Cabinet visited the 
camp and reviewed the troops, expressing them- 
selves as greatly pleased with the appearance of the 
brigade, of winch the 8th Ohio, the "President's 
own," enrolled two of the President's nephews as 
privates. 

On May 24 the 6th was brigaded with the 6th 
Illinois and the 8th Ohio ; and, pending the 
arrival of a brigade commander, Col. D. Jack 
Foster of the 6th Illinois, being the senior colonel, 
was placed in command. 



Camp Alger 29 

The next day a flag, presented by Congressman 
Sprague, who had previously shown his friendship 
for the regiment by the gift of several hundred 
gallons of spring water, was raised on a 70-foot 
pole which had been erected for the purpose near 
the colonel's headquarters. As Congressman 
Sprague was unable to be present, Congressman 
McCall made the presentation speech, and Colonel 
Woodward raised the flag to the accompaniment of 
three rousing cheers from the men. 

From u Coolidge." 

Washington, May 25. 

There was a flag-raising in the camp of the 6th to-day, 
and it was the most impressive incident thus far in the 
life of Camp Alger. It was not an ordinary flag-raising. 
The banner which was flung out in the May sun this 
afternoon was cheered and saluted by a thousand Massa- 
chusetts boys whose presence there was a pledge of their 
willingness to die in its defence. And it may be in the 
chances of Avar that every one of those who reverently 
bared their heads as the Stars and Stripes shot up the 
staff will soon be called on to put his pledge to the test. 
The flag was the gift of Congressman Sprague. It was 
brought to camp this morning by Mr. Baker, the Con- 
gressman's secretary, and presented by him to Colonel 
Woodward. It is much larger and handsomer than any 
of the other flags in camp, and as it flies conspicuously 
from the top of the knoll on which the regiment have 
raised their tents it is one of the most beautiful sights 
for miles around. 



30 The Sixth Massachusetts 

To Company F, from Marlboro, was assigned the 
honor of raising the flag, and they cut a pole nearly 
seventy feet high in the neighboring woods and placed 
it on the very summit of the knoll. When the time 
came for the raising, all the men in the regiment gathered 
around the pole in a great circle. Captain Jackson of 
the Marlboro Company let loose the flag while the fifes 
and drums played the " Star Spangled Banner." The 
men stood with uncovered heads, and Major Marion, 
the regimental surgeon, avIio had the ceremonies in 
charge, presented Representative McCall, who had been 
asked by Congressman Sprague to say a few words 
appropriate to the occasion. 

Mr. McCall's speech was a model of simple and affect- 
ing eloquence, and more than once he was interrupted 
by cheers. 

Mr. McCall spoke of Mr. Sprague's act of generosity 
and patriotism, and said that he himself could better 
learn patriotism than teach it in the presence of the 
brave men of the 6th Regiment. " You have shown 
your devotion," he said, " to the flag we have just raised 
by offering to face the perils of battle, and the possibly 
more deadly perils of climate, in the service of your 
country. You come from a State that is justly proud 
of her institutions, her citizenship, and her glorious his- 
tory, but her people take a yet loftier pride in our com- 
mon country, and above the white flag of Massachusetts 
they put the Stars and Stripes. She has loyally responded 
to the call of the President by promptly filling her quota 
with her best-disciplined and best-equipped troops, with 
such men as fill your ranks and make you the worthy 
successor of that regiment whose historic name you 
bear. We cannot foretell what may be the destiny of 
the flag which you proudly raise today, but of this we 



Camp Alger 3 1 

feel sure, that it will never come down in dishonor. In 
the keeping of your strong arms and brave hearts its 
lustre will remain undimmed. We fervently hope that 
you may return with ranks unbroken : but whatever may 
befall, we know that your record will form a bright page 
in the history of your State and in the history of your 
country." 

Colonel Woodward responded, the Fife and Drum 
Corps played " America," and the men sang it with a 
will. Then there were cheers for Mr. Sprague, for Mr. 
McCall, for the colonel, for all the officers of the regi- 
ment, and for everybody imaginable, including the 
regiment's mascot ; and the men dispersed to the routine 
duties of the camp. 

On June 1, the 9th Massachusetts regiment 
arrived at Camp Alger, and went into camp about 
two miles from the 6th. 

The 2d brigade of the 1st division, of which 
the 6th was a part, had been placed under com- 
mand of Brigadier General George A. Garretson of 
Ohio, a personal friend of both President McKinley 
and Secretary Alger, and it was thought that this 
brigade, being the best equipped and best drilled in 
camp, would be the first to be sent to the front. 

On June 7 the recruiting detail, consisting of 
Majors Taylor and Darling, Captain Cook, and one 
private or non-commissioned officer from each com- 
pany, left for Boston to recruit the regiment to 
full war strength of 1327 men, 32 men being 
needed in each company. A few days later Pay- 



3 2 The Sixth Massachusetts 

master Bailey of Massachusetts arrived in camp 
and paid the men the money given them by the 
State, and on June IT the men received their first 
pay from the United States government. 

The 17th of June was a holiday at camp, and 
was properly observed as it should be by Massachu- 
setts men. A baseball game between teams from 
the 6th and 9th regiments was played in the morn- 
ing, and a long programme of athletic sports was 
carried out in the afternoon. All camp duty 
except guard mount was omitted, and the men had 
nothing to do except to enjoy themselves all day. 
In the evening there was a display of fireworks in 
the camp of the 9th, refreshments were served, 
and the band of one of the Michigan regiments 
played in front of Colonel Bogan's headquarters 
until " taps.' 1 

Dr. Marion resigned his commission July 25, 
together with Lieut. Charles E. Walton of Co. 
A. Surgeon Dow succeeded to the rank of Major 
in place of Dr. Marion, while Surgeon Wash- 
burn took Dr. Dow's place, making a vacancy in 
the medical staff which was immediately filled by 
the appointment of Dr. Herman Gross of Brookline. 

The certainty of the regiment's going into service 
brought into the ranks a number of men who were 
waiting until they were sure it was not going to 
summer in the States before enlisting. Among the 



Camp Alger 33 

recruits enlisted by the officers who returned to the 
North was a large percentage of college men, of 
which Company A claimed ten from Harvard 
alone. Each company was recruited to its full 
allowance of one hundred and six men, all in fine 
condition, restless in the delay of the order to 
move. The seeming slowness in filling up the 
ranks was due to the severe tests applied to re- 
cruits, the physical examinations being of the most 
searching character. 

The arrival of every new squad of recruits was 
heralded at the entrance of camp by the cry of 
" Rookies ! " And as the newly enlisted man 
with his breast swelling with patriotism and his 
heart beating rapidly passed in review down the 
company street subject to an inspection more 
searching than any official one, he was greeted 
with encouraging cries of " You '11 be sorry." " I 
had a good home and I left it," etc. After report- 
ing at headquarters each recruit was assigned to 

quarters in tent No. , where whatever guying he 

might have to meet, he was sure of finding good 
fellows who gladly shared food, bedding, etc., and 
who became his tutors during; his novitiate until 
he had learned the ropes and was quite ready to 
extend a similar welcome to the next " rookie." 

It was here that the story was told of the western 
private whose martial education had been in town 



3 



34 The Sixth Massachusetts 

and not at the front, when approached one night 
by General Garretson, visiting the guard, surprised 
him by the challenge of '"'Here comes de.main 
Guy; turn out de push." 

The camp at this time numbered over 10,000 
men, and was indeed a white city, with its streets 
reaching over the knolls into the pine woods, where 
half screened by the trees the colors marked the 
reg i mental headquarters . 

The neighing of horses, the rattle of empty 
wagons, tramp of the troops, while above all 
sounded the ceaseless roll of drums or practice of 
bands, with all the necessary accompaniments of a 
great camp, made a life of activity comparable 
to nothing outside the army. Entire streets, bor- 
dered with restaurants, jewellers, photographers, 
seemed to spring up in a night, while a theatre 
and the Y. M. C. A. and Salvation Army tents 
added to the cosmopolitan aspect of the place. 

There was talk of marching the brigade to the 
transports, across the State, and a probability of 
there being plenty of work to do in the near future ; 
so a preliminary march was made to the Potomac, 
the men going in heavy marching order and spend- 
ing the night in their dog tents. 

The move was made in every detail as though 
in the enemy's country, with an advance guard, 
wagon train heavily guarded, etc. The men slept 



Camp Alger 3 5 

on their arms ready to repulse the attack of any 
enemy that materialized, but were disappointed in 
being able to sleep undisturbed. 

The 6th started to return to Camp Alger about 
11 o'clock on the 28th, having left the temporary 
camp at Ball's Hill on the Potomac at 6.10 in the 
morning, about an hour in advance of the two 
other regiments in the brigade. The plan was to 
have the 6th Massachusetts take up a position on 
the road and try to prevent the 8th Ohio and 6th 
Illinois from reaching Camp Alger. 

The 6th took its stand about four miles from 
camp and awaited the coming of the others. 
Blank cartridges had been provided, and orders 
were issued that all firing should cease when the 
regiments were within 50 feet of each other. The 
8th Ohio boys became so excited, however, that they 
charged up to within three feet of the 6th Massa- 
chusetts, and during the scrimmage one of the Bay 
State boys, Private Harvey Reed, of Company B, 
received a painful wound from the wad of a blank 
cartridge. A member of the 8th Ohio fired into 
his face, blowing away part of his ear and filling 
his cheek and eyes full of powder. 

It was thought at first that Reed would lose 
his eyesight, but fortunately this was not the case, 
although he was not able to return to duty for 
some time. 



36 The Sixth Massachusetts 

Major "Weybrecht of the 8th Ohio, who com- 
manded the attacking forces, received a painful 
powder burn on the back of the neck, and one of 
the 8th Ohio boys had his hand badly cut by a 
sword. 

The 3d battalion of the 6th Massachusetts did 
outpost duty the night before at Ball's Hill, and 
was so watchful that the cavalry, who were hover- 
ing around the limits of the "camp, could find no 
opening to make an attack. 

When the 6th Massachusetts was marchino; 
toward camp, before the sham battle took place, 
it met another brigade starting: out for a route 
march. The 3d Missouri had the rear guard in 
this brigade, and refused to let the 6th boys through 
its lines. 

One company of Missourians drew up in company 
front across the road, and their captain halted Com- 
pany H of the 6th, which was acting as advance 
guard. Captain Sweetser expostulated in vain. 
The Missouri captain said he had orders to let no 
one through the lines, and he intended to obey 
them. Colonel Woodward and Adjutant Ames 
rode up and tried to induce the captain to with- 
draw his men, but all to no purpose. 

Some of the Missourians seized the colonel's and 
adjutant's horses by the head, and for a few 
moments it looked as if there would be serious 



Camp Alger 37 

trouble. Finally Colonel Woodward, seeing that 
neither argument nor persuasion would prevail, 
gave the order to the 6th Massachusetts boys to 
force their way through. The men fixed bayonets 
and started in column of fours, and the Missouri 
troops were forced to give way. 

"While Company F was on outpost duty, their 
headquarters were at the plantation occupied by 
General Sheridan during the civil war. 

June 30, taps had been blown and only an occa- 
sional murmur of voices told of a few men who 
were still lying awake when suddenly the report of 
rifles and the assembly call was heard, followed by 
the first sergeant calling for companies to fall in 
as they were. The roll was called, and every man 
who did not respond was marked and the list sent 
to headquarters. We were then ordered to turn 
in and go to sleep. The cause was afterwards 
learned. A crowd of soldiers were loose in Wash- 
ington, and the War Department had ordered a 
roll-call at Camp Alger to learn the names of the 
men who were out. 

The tentage furnished by the State of Massa- 
chusetts to the regiment on muster in, upon in- 
spection at Camp Alger, was condemned and by 
order was left on the ground for use of future occu- 
pants. New tentage was supplied at Dun Loring 
which was taken with the regiment's baggage to 



38 The Sixth Massachusetts 

Porto Rico, and eventually unloaded at Ponce, 
where by the order of General Henry it was stored 
and left. 

Most of the companies' and a part of the regi- 
ment's boxes were never found, although a thorough 
search was made in the holds of all accessible 
transports. 

The half-shelter tents, commonly known as dog 
or pup tents, which were given the men here, were 
used as the outside cover for the rolls, and on 
camping two of them were buttoned together to 
form a tent, to enter which it was necessary to get 
down on all fours and crawl in. That such a 
little shelter should ever come to be considered 
with any degree of affection or look attractive 
seemed at first sight impossible, but later the men 
learned after a long day's march or during a 
storm, that even a shelter tent had a degree of 
privacy and protection that savored of their own 
rooms at home. 

Singing, as in all camps, was a favorite pastime 
with the men, and the regiment was fortunate in 
having; an unusual number of good voices. Each 
company had its glee club, and after supper, as 
night fell, you were sure to hear from every street 
the familiar choruses by the men, varied by occa- 
sional solos by the best singers. " Break the News 
to Mother," " Say An Revoir," " Nearer, my God, to 



Camp Alger 39 

Thee," "Marching through Georgia," "The Old 
Oaken Bucket," etc., were favorites of an endless 
repertoire. The singing on shipboard later when 
the men were thrown more closely together was 
particularly good. 

After numerous false rumors had raised the 
expectations of the men as to leaving, on July 5th 
the order came to strike tents, and the evening of 
that day found the men on board the train en 
route for Charleston, in cars that no emigrant 
company would dare place in service to-day. Dirty 
as they were on leaving camp, at the end of the 
run to Charleston 24 hours later, during which 
time the men, being provided with travelling ra- 
tions, had not been allowed to leave their assigned 
cars, they were in a condition that I would not 
wish to picture to my readers, even if their imagi- 
nations were capable of reproducing it. 

We reached Charleston at eight o'clock in the 
evening, but were kept in the cars until the fol- 
lowing afternoon, alongside a Western regiment 
whose train, composed entirely of sleeping cars, 
pulled in next to ours, having casks of ice water 
on every platform. During the night a number 
of men got out of the car windows and went into 
the town for food and drink. 

" And if sometimes our conduck is n't all your fancy paints, 
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints." 



4-0 The Sixth Massachusetts 

The following afternoon we were quartered in a 
hot, foul-smelling warehouse, where the only water, 
we were told, was not fit to drink, yet no other 
was provided. All who could, got passes to go 
into the city for supper, and to make last purchases 
for personal use. 

The half dozen men who were fortunate enough 
to get to the hotel for a square meal were in- 
formed after dinner that privates ahout the hotel 
were de trap in the presence of the officials 
who were there. As going on the street meant 
being run in, the only alternative was resorted to 
of returning; to the warehouse. 

The men of the 6th are not angels but they are 
average men, and the severe attack made by some 
of the newspapers on the regiment was unjustifi- 
able both in its description of the existing condi- 
tion of affairs in the city, and in not stating the 
fact that there were six thousand troops there at 
the time. The following letter published in the 
" Globe " under date of July 8, describes the con- 
dition of affairs as seen by an outsider : — 

Charleston', S. C, July 7. 

To-night there are nearly six thousand troops sleep- 
ing on the docks in this city under sheds and in ware- 
houses. The former get all the air there is going, that 
is very little, while the latter are suffering considerably 
from the heat. 

All day long the troops have had to stand on the 



Camp Alger 



4i 



wharf, suffering from the heat and the want of a cool 
drink, while the 6th Massachusetts has heen cooped 
up all day in the trains that brought the men here. 

The command arrived here last night at 8.30, and it 
was just 10.15 to-night when the last company was 
allowed to leave the train and put foot on terra firma, 
making a total of 25| hours the boys had to remain in 
old stuffy cars that are relics of the past. 

The trains full of soldiers stood in almost tropical 
heat for 25| hours, and then the men were put up in 




Shavixg uxdek Difficulties. 



a place not fit for a Christian to sleep in, while there 
are many vacant lots where the men might have pitched 
their tents and been comfortable all day and got in two 
good nights' rest. One officer said to-night, " God help 
us, if this is the kind of treatment Ave may expect when 
we reach Cuba." 

At midnight the boys of the 6th were sleeping soundly, 
with the exception of the guard. 



42 The Sixth Massachusetts 

Colonel Woodward and staff to-day established head- 
quarters at the Charleston hotel, and several of the line 
officers intended to spend the night there, while others 
went across the street to the St. Charles hotel. At ten 
o'clock General Garretson ordered that every line officer 
in his brigade should sleep with the men, and Adjutant 
Ames started off in a hack to notify the officers of the 
6th, and all had to give up their beds and join their 
commands. Major Taylor of the (3th Massachusetts 
arrived this evening and reported for duty to Colonel 
Woodward. He received a cordial welcome from his 
brother officers. 

To-day Captain Williams of Company L was con- 
siderably worse, and Surgeons Dow and Washburn ad- 
vised the captain to go to the hospital. A hack was 
procured and this evening before midnight the captain 
was improved, and the surgeons in charge hope to have 
him in condition to go with the regiment to-morrow. 

J. Harry Haetlf.y. 

" Many stories of how the swiftest gang of soldiers 
spent the night were heard yesterday. In one place on 
Market St. there is a little slot machine which has made 
a harvest for its owner. Hundreds of nickels have 
been dropped in and few have come out. At 3 a. m. 
yesterday half a dozen soldiers met in the place to have 
some fun. One of them started off by dropping nickels 
in the slot. He slipped in five and the pocket refused 
to open. He was just about ready to drop in the sixth 
when a big, tall fellow said, ' T' 'ell wid de slot,* and 
grabbed it in his arms and disappeared. The other 
soldiers followed, while the proprietor of the place 
yelled and screamed for the police to catch the robbers. 
The soldiers, however, got safely away. Result, divi- 
sion of £2.00. 



Camp Alger 43 

"Another misdemeanor: A young woman was walk- 
ing through the market yesterday reading a paper. She 
was not paying much attention to what was going on 
about her until she happened to glance up and found a 
soldier walking quietly beside her. He asked her about 
the news. The young woman gave the soldier a wither- 
ing look, when he dropped back a little and said, 'Oh, 
I don't know,' and walked away. 

ki The soldiers had money to burn and they left stacks 
of ashes. They had just been paid off before starting 
South, and rolls of healthy green bills were flaunted 
from the car windows in the faces of the people in the 
street. The men felt as if they were doing their last 
bit of blowing, and as one of them said, k What the 
]{ — .do we want with stuff in Cuba? We can steal 
it there.' This was the way they looked at the situa- 
tion, and so when they struck the streets and stores 
the first thing to be done was to shake the stuff for 
something to make the owners thereof feel good." 

When the regiment was ready to leave the fol- 
lowing morning, the doctors pronounced Captain 
Williams too ill to be moved, so Company L left 
with Lieutenant Jackson in command, Captain 
Williams remaining in the hospital in Charleston 
until September, when he returned to Boston. 

On Friday, what threatened to cause a break in 
the regiment by the leaving of some men on the 
wharf, after two detachments had already been 
sent to the " Yale," leaving but one company to be 
transported, was averted only by the prompt action 



44 The Sixth Massachusetts 

of Adjutant Butler Ames, who remained with one 
company and who after the departure of the 
steamer was informed that it could not possibly 
make another trip that night. As he knew the 
" Yale " was to sail that night, immediately after 
the arrival of General Miles, the adjutant, with his 
characteristic promptness, seeing a tug tied up on 
the wharf near by, rushed over and chartered it, 
and placing Company F of Marlboro on board, 
amid the cheers of thousands of citizens and 
soldiers steamed out of the harbor to the " Yale," 
where he was given a welcome reception. 



The" Yale" 45 



CHAPTER IV 

THE " YALE " 

ON the morning of July 8 we were taken on 
board ferryboats seven miles clown the 
Charleston harbor, past Fort Sumter to where the 
"Yale," formerly the "City of Paris," lay waiting 
for us. We boarded her in a violent thunderstorm, 
and the entire regiment, excepting officers, together 
with one company of the 6th Illinois, were quar- 
tered on deck under the protection of " The Eli " 
and the " Handsome Dan," which bristled over her 
forward decks, being the guns presented to her by 
the students of Yale. 

At midnight General Miles and his staff arrived 
from Washington, and immediately after the "Yale " 
started for Cuba. The run down was uneventful, 
all minds being filled with one idea, and a contem- 
plation of the expected conflict as the consumma- 
tion of the days of preparation. We passed San 
Salvador, the first landing-place of Columbus, but 
it excited little interest, as the men felt about 
Columbus as Tom Sawyer did about Adam, i. e., 



46 The Sixth Massachusetts 

that he had been dead some time, and they wanted 
to see a live Spaniard. 

On the afternoon of the 10th a steamer was 
sighted going North. The " Yale " signalled, ask- 
ing for news, and received the reply : " Continuous 
heavy fighting in front of Santiago for two days." 




Admiral Sampson and General Miles. 

Early the next morning Cape Maysi was sighted, 
and during the forenoon the " Yale" passed Guanta- 
namo, where the marines were encamped, and 
Baiquiri, where the first landing of troops took 
place. But when we descried in the distance the 
puffs of smoke rising from the battleships lying 



The "Yale" 49 

off Morro Castle and heard the dull boom of the 
guns, as it came to us across the water, the excite- 
ment among the men showed it was the message 
they had been waiting to hear. It was the end of 
the bombardment of Santiago by the fleet, as it 
had found the range of the city and was waiting 
for land operations to proceed before bombarding 
again. 

About noon we arrived off Siboney, and reported 
to the " New York," and Admiral Sampson came on 
board and was closeted with General Miles for half 
an hour, when the final plans for the strategic move 
of the combined forces of the army and navy were 
arranged. 

General Miles afterwards went ashore, landing 
at Siboney, when in a very short time the flames 
rising from the row of houses signalled the message 
to the fleet that it did not require a code to trans- 
late, of the prevalence of Yellow Jack. The 
village was burned under the supervision of Dr. 
Greenleaf of Boston, by General Miles's order. 
When the General returned to the " Yale " his wor- 
ried expression told how anxious he was regarding 
the fever ashore, and the possibility, if the Spaniards 
held out, of our having a worse foe to contend with 
than Spaniards. 

On the tenth of July we were ordered to turn 
in our blue uniforms, as we were wearing the brown 



50 The Sixth Massachusetts 

canvas suits, and there was every reason to believe 
that we would soon be in a position on shore where 
we would want no superfluous belongings. On the 
12th General Miles again went on shore, and 
Colonel Woodward was informed that the regiment 
would be landed in a small bay on the west side 
of the city, to take Sacopa battery, and then join 
the right wing of the army. The next morning, 
however, the truce was still on, and the landing 
was postponed. The next day we were given 
three days' rations and ordered to prepare to land 
the following morning. The men knew what it 
meant, as the fate of the regiments in Cuba was 
well known, but there was not a waver or sign of 
regret or fear. The evening of the loth men 
spent in writing letters home which they thought 
might be their last, and in talking quietly in 
groups, or in some cases singing hymns. On 
the other hand there was the element that tried 
to hide all feelings of seriousness, and to cover any 
expression of feeling by bravado talk, even offering 
wagers as to " who would get there first." A se- 
riousness that can be joked about now pervaded 
the entire boat, and men lay down to sleep with 
visions of New England homes more vividly im- 
pressed than usual on their memories. That night 
the signal was flashed from shore that we were to 
advance the following day and take the Sacopa 



The "Yale" 51 

battery on the west side of Morro Castle, thus 
completing the circle about Santiago. 

There is no doubt the arrival of General Miles 
with the transports in the harbor of Siboney, 
and the view of these from Morro as we steamed 
slowly in full view of her glasses had an undue 
importance in the final decision of the surrender 
of Santiago, as the news of the arrival of an appar- 
ently large force of men waiting on deck in heavy 
marching order was signalled from Morro to San- 
tiago, confirming General Miles's argument to the 
officials that he had an unlimited supply of men 
ready to land and that it would be better for his 
terms to be accepted with the transportation of 
the Spanish troops to Spain than for them to 
await the inevitable overpowering and lose that 
advantage. 

When the hour of expiration of the truce passed 
and the white flag still told of a continued con- 
ference, and possible peace without our landing, 
the discontent of the men was marked; and when 
the signal finally came that " Santiago has surren- 
dered," the cheers and jollification was for another 
American victory, and not a rejoicing at having 
escaped the dangers of Cuba ; for it was a great 
disappointment to have been so near and an 
eye witness, yet " not to have been in at the 
death." 



5 2 The Sixth Massachusetts 

Off Moeeo Castle 

" The shrill whistle of a boatswain's mate fol- 
lowed by the nasal drawl of a sailor's voice calling 
the Port Watch to dinner, broke the monotonous 
stillness on the decks of the United States cruiser 
< Yale.' 

" The ' Yale,' swinging lazily in the blue waters 
of the Caribbean Sea, lay about halfway between 
the Spanish stronghold, the Castle of Morro, and 
the town of Siboney. Her decks were crowded 
with soldiers of the 6th Massachusetts and 6th 
Illinois, who lay sleeping or smoking, and vainly 
trying to keep out of the terrific heat of the 
sun. 

" With the boatswain's whistle a few got up and 
lounged over the hot decks towards the ' forward 
companion-way ' that led to the sailors' mess. 
Here they waited, while the sailors ate their piping 
hot dinner, with a half-hearted hope that some 
of the well-fed Jackies, who strolled so contentedly 
up the gangway still licking their chops, might 
have a bit of bread stowed away under their 
white shirts ; but their patience went unrewarded, 
so they lounged back again towards their respec- 
tive company quarters to be in readiness for the 
mess call that would soon sound for them. In 
a few minutes they got their gill of coffee and 



The "Yale" 53 

their mouldy hardtack, which, with the fatty salt 
pork they got, they made into greasy sand- 
wiches, and climbing upon the rail they munched 
away at their unappetizing meal and drearily 
watched the ships of war that lay about them. 

" Just abreast of the ' Yale ' lay the i Columbia/ 
the water sizzling with the heat as it sprayed 
against her iron prow. Astern of her drifted the old 
'Massachusetts' with the front of her turrets 
and fighting mast white with saltpetre, and the 
red lead showing through her gray war paint like 
blood. In the distance could be seen the ' New 
York,' the ' Oregon,' the ' Texas,' and many other 
ships of battle. 

" Off the port bow and not five miles away, the 
Castle of Morro stood like an ancient warrior, keep- 
ing solitary vigil on the long, high ridge of land 
that hides Santiago from the sea. Above the 
castle floated a white flag of truce. 

" Behind the fort was Santiago, backed by the 
high hills of Cuba, and surrounded by Shaffer's 
army. Suddenly, a dozen different colored pen- 
nants fluttered to the mast-head of the ' New 
York.' Instantly half a dozen glasses were lev- 
elled at them from the bridge of the ' Yale,' where 
army and navy officers gathered to catch t he- 
order. 

" l Form line of battle to attack Morro and bom- 



54 The Sixth Massachusetts 

bard Santiago,' it read. The armistice would be 
up at two o'clock and it then lacked fifteen minutes 
of two. 

" Slowly the great ships swung into line. From 
every bridge signals were being wig-wagged in 
rapid order. Everywhere decks were being cleared 
for action. The little 'Gloucester' crept away in 
shore and steamed cautiously up in the direction 
of Morro. 

" On the ' Yale,' sailors sprang to their stations, 
marines manned the several guns, and coolly awaited 
the order to ; fire.' Soldiers sought good positions 
from which to observe the fun, although the boats, 
heavily loaded with ammunition and rations, and 
swinging out over the water, told them only too 
plainly that a part of the work would be reserved 
for them. 

" Five minutes of two, and the semi-circle of ships 
around Morro was formed. Slowly the minutes crept 
along, and the circle grew smaller and smaller. 
Two minutes of two and the little ' Gloucester ' 
seemed right under the very guns of the castle. 
Breathlessly the white flag over Morro was watched. 
In one minute it must come dowm. In one minute 
every silent ship and the silent fort would be 
wrapped in great, yellow clouds of smoke from 
which vivid flashes and deafening crashes would 
follow one another in quick succession. 



The "Yale" 55 

" After what seemed hours, the ships' bells rang 
out the hour. 

" Minute after minute went by, while the ships 
lay motionless and silent. 

" Presently it was discovered that the ' New York ' 
was wig-wagging to some one on shore. Following 
along the line of beach the eye came to the bridge on 
the Siboney railroad, where the ' Michigan ' turned 
and ran under the lire of the guns of Morro. Then 
a little to the left of the bridge a white flag with a 
red spot in the centre wig-wagged the message, 
' General Toral has surrendered Santiago and the 
whole of Western Cuba.' 

" No sooner had the message been finished than a 
mighty cheer arose from the ' New York.' Soon the 
sailors and soldiers were wildly cheering the joyful 
news. With the breaking up of the battle line 
ships went steaming rapidly away down the coast, 
and night, when it shut darkly down around the 
'Yale,' hid only two or three ships off Siboney, 
and the castle of Morro unguarded and unwatched 
with the white flag still floating in the air. 

" Bkaixeed Taylor." 

General Miles did not come on board aorain until 
the surrender was announced, when we ran back 
to Guantanamo, where we anchored in the harbor 
among a fleet of some twenty war-ships and trans- 



56 The Sixth Massachusetts 

ports, forming a floating city, the population of 
which was increased each clay by the arrival of 
some new vessel. 

From the 14th to the 17th, the " Yale " made her 
daily trips up the coast, returning to Siboney every 
night. On the 17th came the formal surrender of 
the city, and the same clay the " Yale " started for 
Guantanamo, where she anchored. The "Rita," 
a prize steamer, with the 6th Illinois on board, 
also arrived at Guantanamo the same day, and 
Colonel Foster paid a visit to the officers of the 
6th Massachusetts. 

The hulls of our battleships lay on the water 
like great, dark birds, swinging lazily with the tide, 
and only seeming to waken at night when the elec- 
tric lights would shine out from all sides, outlining 
their hulls in the darkness and reflecting long darts 
of light in the dark water beneath, while now and 
then a search-light would fall meteor-like over the 
scene, wrapping all in its brilliancy for a moment 
and then as suddenly disappearing. No theatre 
ever produced as picturesque a stage setting as the 
scene which lay daily before us, or as true a repre- 
sentation of diplomatic life as when General Miles 
would pay a formal visit on board the " Oregon " 
or the " Massachusetts/' and the massive shell-proof 
decks of those vessels would lend themselves to an 
afternoon reception of white-ducked officers, while 



The "Yale 



57 



the very rise and fall of the boat on the swell 
seemed to be in unison with the music of the band, 
heard faintly over the water from the forward 
deck. 

Such was the variety of scene and action for the 
early days on the " Yale." But after the excite- 
ment attendant on the expected landing and antici- 
pated battle had passed, the natural reaction came, 




On board the "Yale." 



and the tension of nerves relaxed, and men were 
hungry and thirsty. Quartered on deck, exposed 
to the rain and wind of a tropical climate, under a 
burning sun by day and in dampness by night, the 
men were at the mercy of a treacherous climate at 
the worst season of the year. Part of the deck 
was covered by awnings and others were put 



58 The Sixth Massachusetts 

up at the end of a week. These served the 
double purpose of protection from heat and rain 
and to catch water, which was considered a luxury 
for drinking, as that provided on the boat was dis- 
tilled, and drawn from a faucet at either end of 
the ship at a temperature that was sickening hot. 
When one wanted a drink, it was necessary to 
line up and drink in turn from a chipped-edged 
enamel cup that was used in common by the sick 
and the well. The writer was threatened with 
arrest by the marine guard for pouring water into 
his own cup to drink. No canteens were allowed 
to be filled, which prevented cooling the water even 
to the temperature of the air. When it rained at 
night the men would get up off the deck and roll 
their belongings in their ponchos and shiver in 
groups until the storm would pass over, and then 
lie down again on the wet deck. One man who 
slept near a tap for the hose, and from which the 
water bubbled up alarmingly near, spoke of it as 
his " spring bed/' 

Our meals consisted of coffee, of which we never 
had enough and that without sugar, hardtack, 
occasionally fat bacon but usually raw tomatoes, 
a can of which would be given to two or three 
men fur their dinner, and which at times had 
passed their day of possible usefulness and were 
thrown overboard. As an occasional luxury, 



The "Yale" 59 

half-cooked "sow belly," which would have been 
excellent fare for an Arctic expedition, was served, 
but this usually went to feed the fishes. The sail- 
ors' food was far superior to that of the regiment. 
Their sympathy was aroused for the men to the 
extent that they gladly shared their meals when- 
ever possible, although they paid the penalty by 
arrest if they were found giving or selling food to 
the soldiers. The only meal which the writer had 
on board which could be called by that name was 
a boiled dinner bought from a stoker, and which 
made a feast for three. Men who live on Beacon 
Street grabbed food from the refuse of the officers' 
table which was being thrown overboard, while 
Harvard men chased small potatoes down the 
scuppers with an eagerness which could be ex- 
plained only by the pangs of hunger. Yet the 
officers had their hardships, for a naval cadet on 
board told me one day as a real grievance that he 
got but one biscuit with his cheese and after dinner 
coffee. 

Those who have stood on deck a steamer looking 
down at the steerage passengers eating their boiled 
dinner, or broth from a bucket, with their mugs 
of beer beside them, and pitied them, pitied a con- 
dition that would have been absolute luxury to the 
men on the " Yale." 

The cooking for thirteen companies, thirteen 



6o The Sixth Massachusetts 

hundred men, was done in the steerage galley, in 
a space of not over eight by sixteen feet, the only 
exception being when as a special favor the use of 
the second cabin galley was secured during the 
night for cooking beans. 

The letter of E. B. Lamson, under date of Au- 
gust 5, said, " The hardtack was mouldy in hun- 
dreds of cases, and was thrown away by soldiers 
who knew they would get no more to eat for the 
day. The pork was chiefly fat, which was not 
suited for food in that climate. No fault Mas 
found with the coffee but its scantiness. Many of 
the privates went a day at a time with nothing in 
their stomachs but coffee. Now and then they re- 
ceived tomatoes or bean soup. It seemed at times 
as if the rations were dealt out most sparingly or 
else there was a most uneven distribution." 

One of our men whom the gnawing of hunger 
drove to the extremity of going to the galley of 
the first cabin and begging for something to 
eat was asked, "Are you a waiter?" Upon re- 
plying in the negative he was invited to go to 
a place warmer than the galley, and received no 
food. 

The position of " waiter " Mas in great demand, 
as those who had been fortunate enough to secure 
such a place received plenty to eat, and when possi- 
ble helped out their friends. The men who had 



The "Yale" 61 

money paid any price for anything they could buy 
to eat. 

Frank Pope writes under the date of July ll> : 

"The food for the men lias been poor; not only 
poor, but for the last few days rather scarce. They 
have done considerable kicking about it, but it is 
I tartly their own fault. I saw several dozen pieces of 
hardtack and a lot of canned beef thrown overboard 
yesterday to coax the sharks nearer the ship. 

" Last night we had a terrific rain storm. The rain 
fell in sheets all night, and everybody on deck was wet 
through. The men were lying in three or four inches 
of water, and the baggage was floating off into the 
scuppers. There was no shelter for them, so they had 
to grin and bear it. They huddled together under the 
lee of the deck-house until daylight, when there was a 
lull in the storm, but it soon started again harder than 
ever. 

" Ponchos were no good. They were soaked through 
in five minutes, and all woollen blankets and clothing 
were as bad. The sun came out about noon, however, 
and dried things off, making everybody feel more 
cheerful. The clothes and blankets were spread out all 
over the ship until she looked like a great floating 
laundry." 

The storm here described was perhaps the worst, 
and as it increased in violence men retreated to 
the only possible shelter, going to the passage way 
leading to and in the toilet rooms, where later 
rows of men sat asleep exhausted beyond wakeful- 
ness. 



62 The Sixth Massachusetts 

The advantage in waiting until this time to tell 
the story of the campaign, is that statements 
concerning food given the regiments are given out 
from headquarters and do not need verifying. 

Cleveland, December 30. 

General George A. Garretson, of this city, who 
commanded a division in Porto Rico, agreed to-day 
with General Miles that the canned beef furnished the 
army was, to a large extent, unfit for use. He said that 
a large amount of the meat had to he thrown away. 

"The condition of affairs," said General Garretson, 
" was every bit as bad as is reported. There is no 
doubt that this bad meat was the cause of a large part 
of the sickness among the men." 

This was some of the " canned beef " that was 
reported as being wasted by using it as feed to 
tempt sharks. If the stomach of that fish is any- 
thing like a man's, we know what happened to the 
shark. 

'•Near Cuba there lived a young shark. 
Who fed always about some new barque. 
He ate meat from the ' Yale, ' 
Then turned up his tail — 
The end of the tale of the shark." 

The sanitary arrangements were those accorded 
the steerage passengers, and were entirely inade- 
quate to the demands of the number of men on 
board. The only relief to their discomfort was 
the bath each day when the hose was played on 



The "Yale" 



63 



the forward deck, or the evening plunge into the 
sea, which was allowed for a period of time while 
lying in the harbor. For exercise we had setting 
up drill, target practice, and running around the 
deck, to keep which from being scratched, the men 
were ordered to take off their shoes and run bare- 




A Shower Bath. 

foot over a surface that was heated to a tempera- 
ture that was painful to the touch. It gave the 
men good knee action, however, and they entered 
into the sport of the game. This running was 
finally stopped by General Miles, as the confusion 
disturbed the work of his staff in his saloon. 

Days dragged on into weeks, and the half- 
starved men, crowded on a transport in mid- 
summer in the tropics, began to break down with 



64 The Sixth Massachusetts 

a rapidity which alarmed even the surgeons. 
The expedition had been sent as a hurried relief 
to General Shaffer, and as it was expected it 
would be on board the " Yale " but four or five 
days, provision had been made for that time only. 
Tons of stores deep clown in the inaccessible 
regions of the hold, and nine cars full of supplies 
left on the tracks at Charleston, answered admir- 
ably to Mr. Hooley's version of Secretary Alger's 
letter to "Chauncy Depoo," where he says, "In two 
months I had enough supplies piled up in Maine to 
feed ivry sojer in Cubea, and all the rig 'mints had 
to do was to write f'r thim." 

The second cabin saloon which was utilized as 
the sick bay was filled to overflowing. Those 
who looked in through the ports and saw the 
crowd of naked men panting for air they could not 
set and calling for nurses when there were none 
to hear, will not soon forget the sight. Later a 
ventilator was put into the hospital, which greatly 
relieved the men. 

Such was the life led by the 6th regiment for 
eighteen days on board the " Yale."' and three days 
on board the train, making a total of twenty-one 
days during which time the men had been without 
sufficient exercise, proper food, or drink. The 
necessary consequence of this showed itself not 
only on shipboard but later when the men were 



The "Yale" 65 

called upon to make exertions which, had they 
been in the condition they were at the time of 
leaving Camp Alger, would have been made with 
little difficulty. 

The brigadier general and the entire regimental 
staff were in a position to know the life the men 
were leading, yet there was no improvement or 
change made. Individually certain officers did all 
in their power to improve matters, their complaints, 
however, receiving no response. 

That the officers of the regiments were not 
pampered by too luxurious living at " first cabin " 
table is also certain. While privileges were theirs, 
life was made no more attractive to them than 
"tactics" allow, as being a transport in the wake 
of the " Massachusetts " and the " Oregon " instead 
of overhauling rich Spanish vessels, was no doubt 
aggravating to the " Yale." There were rumors 
that the supply of coal and tomatoes was low and 
in danger of being exhausted. The rumor proved 
false. 

During these clays General Miles and his staff, 
together with Captain Paget of the English navy, 
made their headquarters on board the "Yale," — 
the general often appearing on deck in his shirt 
sleeves for a breathing spell, talking freely and 
familiarly with any of the men who happened to 
be near, furnishing a pleasant contrast to some of 



66 The Sixth Massachusetts 



the lesser lights. Whenever returning from shore 
the general used the greatest care, and took every 
precaution of disinfecting before going on board. 
Others were not as thoughtful. Col. J. J. Astor 
and Captain Lee succeeded in boarding the " Yale " 
one evening through the gang being lowered for 
General Miles. The general had gone to the other 
side of the ship, however, and in the interim these 
officers came on board and dined with the army 
officers before knowledge of their presence reached 
Captain Wise of the " Yale." Duty called them 
ashore immediately after the captain learned of 
their presence, as he did not care to have yellow 
fever brought aboard by even an officer. 

The mail from the North arrived at Guantanamo 
on the 20th, and a detail was sent from the 
"Yale" to sort it. 

Occasionally one was made to forget the monot- 
onous life we were leading by our unusual envi- 
ronment. 

I had been doing guard duty on the " Yale" during 
the night, and from two to four A. m. had looked 
out over the harbor filled with the great boats, 
which were dimly outlined in the starlight, with 
only here and there a single light shining out in the 
dark like a wakeful eye over the sleeping forms 
covering the decks. Entire silence reigned, with 
the exception of the bells striking the hour, when 



The "Yale" 67 

from one ship, then another, in different tones 
and keys would come across the water the sound 
of the ship's bells, like voices of night, bearing 
the message, " All is well." Eight bells struck, 
and the arrival of the new guard relieved us. We 
were just turning for our blankets, to throw our- 
selves on the deck for an hour's sleep, when, like 
a ship rising out of the fog, the forms of the 
fleet about us became dimly visible in the first 
gray of dawn. They were so unreal as to be 
truly like phantom ships. Gradually the light 
increased, not by brightening rays from a rosy 
dawn, but sombre and dark in color like a Novem- 
ber day. Great gray clouds filled the horizon, 
forming a background so nearly the color of the 
drab hulled ships that they became part of one 
another. The light increased, and the water re- 
flected the tint of the sky. It was a monochrome 
picture such as would fill the heart of an artist 
with delight. But a sadness pervaded the scene 
as though Nature had crone into second mourning. 

Long after the heat of day had dissipated 
those soft colors and brought into bold relief 
every outline of our floating city and its restless 
population, did the remembrance of that picture 
fill my mind, and make me forget for the time 
the horrors of the ''Yale." 

At an early date in the war the conquest of 



68 The Sixth Massachusetts 

the island of Porto Rico had become a settled 
purpose of the administration. The invasion had 
been deferred from time to time for reasons con- 
nected with the Santiago campaign, and wishing 
to use the experienced regiments engaged in Cuba. 
Yet the occupation of this island, owing to its 
intrinsic value as well as its strategic use, was 
held to be indispensable before the conclusion of 
the war. It was planned to send an army to Porto 
Rico large enough to effect a rapid conquest, and it 
took time to get the proper forces together. Major 
General Miles, Commander-in-Chief of the expedi- 
tion, was ready to sail with our troops from Cuba 
on July the 18th, but the delay which occurred 
owing to tardiness of Admiral Sampson in furnish- 
ing a requisite naval escort, kept us on the " Yale " 
until the 25th of July. To complete the expedition, I 
large bodies of troops were to be sent from Charles- 
ton, Tampa, and Newport News under command I 
of Major General Brooke. When we sailed on the 
21st the expedition from Charleston, numbering | 
about three thousand men, was already under way, 
and fear was entertained of its reaching the place 
of rendezvous ahead of the naval guard. 

General Brooke with over five thousand men left 
Newport News a week later. These were to be 
followed by other forces until the expedition should 
number about thirty-five thousand men. Quanta 



The " Yale' 1 69 

ties of supplies were sent with the troops, who 
were accompanied by a large number of engineers 
equipped with all necessary engineering machinery 
for road and bridge building*. 

The reasons for keeping the regiment on board 
the " Yale " so long are thus explained. After the 
surrender of Santiago there was every reason why 
no landing should be made in Cuba, and the un- 
expected delay in the completion of the Porto 
Rican expedition extended day by day the time 
into weeks before the plans were completed and 
the word given to proceed. 

It was with cheers of delight that the regiment 
hailed the positive announcement that we were to 
move against Porto Rico, as on the 2 1st day of 
July the fleet, consisting of sixteen vessels, moved 
slowly out of the harbor at Guantanamo with the 
" Massachusetts " as flagship, followed by the 
" Yale," the " Dixie," " Columbia," and " Glouces- 
ter," and the transports " Lampasus," "Comanche," 
" Rita," " Unionist," " Stillwater," " City of Macon," 
"Nueces," and "Specialist," carrying about thirty- 
five hundred men. A low rate of speed was 
necessary owing to the transports being unable to 
keep up with the cruisers. The expedition was 
in charge of Captain Higginson, and during the 
days of the voyage every sail sighted was over- 
hauled so there was no possibility of our approach 



jo The Sixth Massachusetts 

being heralded. On the morning of the 23d, Corp. 
Charles F. Parker died, and was buried at sea the 
same day. Chaplain Dnsseanlt read the burial 
service, and a squad of twelve men fired the 
customary three volleys. 

Lieutenant Higginson of General Miles's staff 
had previously made a journey incognito at great 




The Harbor of Guaxica. 



risk through Porto Rico, and familiarized himself 
with the island and its harbors, including the 
little harbor of Guanica. General Miles, taking 
advantage of this knowledge, decided to land his 
forces there instead of on the north side of the 



The "Yale" i\ 

island, as was anticipated. He, therefore, sent 
the w * Dixie " to warn General Brooke at Cape San 
Juan, and changed the course of the fleet south- 
ward through the Mona passage. All through the 
night previous to our landing, as the fleet steamed 
slowly down the west end of the island, but a 
single light showed from the entire fleet, and that 
from the stern of the flagship. 

Just before reaching Guanica, General Miles 
called the officers of the 6th into the main saloon 
and told them : " There was great work cut out for 
them ; that the most honorable position was theirs, 
but also the post of greatest danger. The regiment 
was to force a landing and hold it against every 
assault until reinforcements arrived, and he hoped 
they would go forward against everything without 
flinching." 

When the citizens of Guanica wakened on the 
morning of July 25th, it was to find their town, if 
not its citizens famous, with our fleet at their 
doors. They had a garrison of but fifty men, and 
no communications by rail or wire with any centre 
where it was possible to secure aid in time to pre- 
vent troops landing. The "Gloucester," in com- 
mand of Lieutenant-Colonel Wainwright, regardless 
of possible mines, ran boldly into the harbor, where 
after reconnoitring, she lowered a launch in which 
were taken thirty men and a Colt rapid-fire gun 



7 2 The Sixth Massachusetts 

under the command of Lieutenant Huse, who landed 
without opposition. Not until the Spanish flag, 
which floated from a staff at the little wharf, was 
hauled down and tiie stars and stripes were run up 
in its place, did he draw the fire of the Spaniards, 
from their hiding-places behind houses. The tire 
was returned, and then, as a number of Spanish 
cavalry were seen to be hastening to the relief of 
their comrades, began " that hideous bombardment 
of the i Gloucester's ' three pounders,' ' dropping 
shells in such a position that the Spanish cavalry 
decided discretion to be the better part of valor, and 
retreated. The troops were landed by aid of the 
small boats and the " City of Macon," on board 
which the 6th Massachusetts was taken ashore with 
General Miles, when it was learned that four of the 
Spaniards had been killed in the affray, and the 
others, wishing "to fight another day," had followed 
the injunctions of the other line, with a promptness 
that was exhilarating. Not a person was to be 
seen. Houses were closed, the inhabitants having 
taken refuge on the hillsides. The regiment was 
camped near the village, and all possible speed was 
used in getting horses and artillery ashore. 

The captain of the " Macon " was most hospi- 
table, doing double service. When he was on 
deck with General Miles a certain amount of hospi- 
tality was — you could hardly say dispensed — 



The "Yale" 73 

"acquired" is perhaps the better word, from his 
stateroom by thirsty privates. They appreciated 
it just as much as though it had been at the invi- 
tation of the captain. 

Washington, July 27, the War Department last 
night received the following : 

St. Thomas, July 2a, U.o5 p.m. 

Secretary of War, Washington: 

Circumstances were such that I deemed it advisable 
to take the harbor of Guanica first, fifteen miles west of 
Ponce, which was successfully accomplished between 
daylight and eleven o'clock. Spaniards surprised. The 
" Gloucester," Commander Wainwright, first entered the 
harbor, and met with slight resistance ; fired a few shots. 
All the transports are now in the harbor, and infantry 
and artillery rapidly going ashore. This is a well- 
protected harbor. Water sufficiently deep for all trans- 
ports and heavy vessels to anchor within two hundred 
yards of shore. The Spanish flag was lowered and the 
American flag raised at eleven o'clock to-day. Captain 
Higginson, with his fleet, has rendered able and earnest 
assistance. Troops in good health and best of spirits. 
No casualties. 

Miles, 

Major General Commanding Army. 



74 The Sixth Massachusetts 



CHAPTER V 

GUANICA 

"'"' When first under fire an' you : re wishful to duck, 
Don't look nor take 'eed at the man that is struck, 
Be thankful you ? re living and trust to your luck. 
And march to your front like a soldier." 

<V c7ZF 25. It was not far from 9 p. m., well 
J after darkness, that a staff officer of General 
Garretson rode in from the Yauco road and 
reported that the company of the 6th Illinois on 
outpost duty had been fired upon and reinforce- 
ments were needed. Lieutenant Colonel Chaffin, 
being in command of the regiment in the absence 
of Colonel Woodward, ordered Major Darling to 
select two companies and go to reinforce the 
Illinois company. Taking companies L of Boston 
and M of Milford, he hurried along the road 
bordered with tropical trees and plants, to where, 
through a gateway, a path led to the hill on the 
right on which the Illinois company was posted. 
Under the guidance of a native guide the surround- 
ing country was reconnoitred and outposts were 
placed in all available points supposed to be facing 
the enemy. During the night as the desultory 



Guanica 7 5 

shooting continued and an attack was supposed to 
be intended by the Spaniards at daybreak, it was 
deemed advisable to have reinforcements from the 
camp. "Word was sent back to this effect. About 
one o'clock five companies, A, C, K, G, and E, 
formed quickly and quietly and marched out to 
the vicinity of the other companies, to where there 
was a banana grove on the left at the fork of the 
road. Beyond this on the left was a hill about 
three hundred feet high, covered with chaparral, 
which was recorded as being free from the enemy. 
The hill terminated at a distance of about four hun- 
dred yards, opening out into a large valley to the 
north. The companies were halted in the rear of 
this division and consultation was held with 
General Garretson and staff while waiting; for 
daylight. 

July 26. At a little before 5 A. m. the com- 
panies were advanced to the outposts at this 
hollow in the road, where A and G were ordered to 
lay their rolls in a pile to be left in the charge of 
a sentinel. Company L was withdrawn from out- 
post duty, and following in the rear of Company 
A, which formed the advance guard, was followed 
by Company G. Only two companies, A and G, 
were ordered to move up at this time. Company A 
immediately took up the advance guard formation 
and started forward. They had proceeded but a 



j 6 The Sixth Massachusetts 

few hundred yards when they and the column 
were fired upon from the side of the hill on 
the left at a distance of not over two hundred 
yards. The first volley caused a little confusion 
in the ranks, but the men quickly recovered from 
any demoralization. Captain Gihon of Company 
A was shot in the thigh, Corp. W. S. Carpenter 
of Company L and B. Bostic, Private, in the arm 
and finger. Private J. Drummond of Company K 
was struck twice, the first ball passing completely 
through the neck near the spinal cord ; hut Private 
Drummond refused to fall hack and proceeded 
with the firing line, when he received the second 
wound, which drew blood but proved to lie only a 
flesh wound. Company C followed Company L. 
Companies K and E being in under fire broke at 
first but quickly rallied and pushed to the left and 
up the hill to the front. 

The companies in the road, A, L, and C, jumped 
into the ditches on either side of the road at the 
first discharge. As was afterwards learned, the posi- 
tion held by the Spaniards at a distance of not over 
two hundred yards away, commanded the ditches 
on both sides of the road. That no more men were 
wounded can only be explained by the Spaniards 
having fired five rounds from their hips and then 
running. The over shooting was shown by the 
fact that the majority of the wounds were received 



Guanica 77 

by the men who were in the rear. On the right 
of the road was a barbed wire fence and a banana 
grove, which in the early morning was very black, 
1 >nt through which the flankers of the advance 
guard and companies pushed. The flankers on the 
left side of the hill had not reached more than one 
third of the way up the hill and were within one 
hundred and fifty yards of the enemy when the 
Spanish ambuscade opened fire. That portion of 
the enemy, after firing from the hill-top, retreated 
over the other side of the hill to the left and north 
and did not again come into sight. 

The shots fired by the 6th Illinois, who were 
stationed at a house on the hillside a quarter of a 
mile to the right and rear, came so uncomfortably 
near to the Gth' Massachusetts men that they 
were called upon to cease firing. The firing did not 
last over three quarters of an hour. Company A, 
when getting up on the hillside to the left of 
the road, could see the Spaniards lying down in 
a cornfield to the front and right, and fired upon 
them, to the surprise of those in front of them 
down in the road, from whom the Spaniards were 
concealed. The Spaniards retreated down the road, 
pausing in a sugar mill under cover of a French 
flag, half a mile away. Another body of Spaniards 
could be seen on the hillside across the valley re- 
treating to the north. The line advanced down 



78 The Sixth Massachusetts 

the road until they emerged to the east of the hill- 
top where the ambuscade took place, and halted 
along the base of the hill which stretches to the 
north in line of skirmishers. After pausing there 
a moment to get breath, they moved out across 
the ploughed ground toward the sugar mill 
through a field green with the growth of young 
sugar-cane plants. By this time Captain McNeely 
with eighteen of his company came over the hill 
and took up a position on the left, as skirmishers on 
the line to the left of K (E, K, G, and part of C 
to the left of the road). After resting for a while 
at the foot of the hill, the line moved out to the 
sugar mill simultaneously, from which they found 
the enemy had retreated without being fired upon. 
On the left side of the road the line moved to the 
front a quarter of a mile to where the valley 
opened into the next one. Those in the valley 
waited until three companies on the left hand 
mounted the next spur separating the valley. 
When they reached the top of the hill, the enemy 
w T as seen drawn up in columns of four on the side 
of a spur across the valley running parallel to the 
first one. The enemy were in three or four 
columns, and could also be seen from the valley. 
The company on the hill-top commenced to fire on 
the enemy when orders came from General 
Garretson down the road to retire. 



Guanica 79 

After the first fire at the enemy, Lieutenant Lane- 
horn called for volunteers to clear the hill, when 
Second Lieut. F. E. Gray of Company A stepped for- 
ward and with the first three fours of his company 
advanced up the hill and accomplished what was 
desired. 

An extract from a letter from a man who was 
under fire for the first time says : — 

" At the first volley I was simply surprised. I 
instinctively dropped on my stomach beside the road, 
keeping nvy head up to get a chance to shoot. During 
that terrible storm I felt as if I had been in the same 
position many times before. I did not have the slight- 
est tremor. About six I was lying beside Captain 
Gihon talking about the battle, with bullets flying 
thick and fast on three sides, when he groaned and 
dropped his head. Then my heart jumped and I 
said, 'Are you hit, captain?' He said 'Yes.' I asked 
him where. He laughed and said, 'In the seat of my 
pants.' We found that a Mauser bullet had passed 
through his left hip. It must have passed over my 
head, and frightfully near. The captain stayed through 
the battle in command." 

To those left in camp the night had been one of 
suspense and excitement. During the entire night 
desultory shots had been heard from all sides, but 
principally from the direction the troops had gone. 
About day-break the sound of continuous heavy fir- 
ing told of conflict begun in earnest. Rumors of 



80 The Sixth Massachusetts 

terrible disaster soon filled the camp, and the word 
was given out by a high regiment official that one 
company was entirely wiped out and another had 
suffered great loss. Captain Barrett appeared 
wounded by a bad cut from the barbed wire fence. 
The blood covering his face and filling his eyes, 
necessitated his coming to camp to have his head 
dressed, after which he returned to his command. 
Shortly after this Captain Gihon was brought in 
to the hospital, and the appearance in the road 
immediately after of a large number of natives 
following stretchers confirmed the impression that 
our surgeons would be kept busy. Every effort was 
being made to care for a laro-e number of wounded, 
when the good news arrived that only three were 
wounded of all our men, causing great rejoicing 
throughout the camp. 

The men who went for outpost duty that first 
night, it must be remembered, did so in an enemy's 
unknown country with no knowledge of the " lay 
of the land,' 1 taking their position after darkness 
had fallen and with no idea of the number of the 
enemy that might be collected on their front. 
That men who had never before been under 
fire, should have held their ground during the 
night as they did, is deserving of all praise. 

Major Darling after consultation with Lieuten- 
ant Langhorn located the companies and remained 



Guanica 8 1 

in charge of the post until the arrival of the rein- 
forcements, when General Garretson took charge. 

Adjutant Ames, who was conspicuous throughout 
the fight, appeared to the men in a new light. The 
quiet manner of camp became under fire one of 
fearlessness and bravery that called forth the 
highest admiration from the men. 

It was expected during the entire day that the 
Spaniards would make another attack the follow- 
ing night, and preparations were made to give 
them a warm reception. There was no opportu- 
nity of getting food to the men, and they worked 
all day with nothing but hardtack and water to 
sustain them, throwing up trenches and whatever 
form of defence was possible. Toward night word 
came of the scarcity of food in the companies, 
when eleven men of Company A, who had been 
on guard duty the night lief ore, volunteered to 
take coffee up to their company. Buckets full 
were soon prepared, and the squad started out 
in command of Corporal Richardson. Before the 
outskirts of the village were passed, night had 
fallen. The men proceeded, however, over a road 
bordered on either side with fields of sugar-cane 
or dense hedges, taking turns in carrying the coffee, 
and not knowing what minute they might draw 
the fire of the Spaniards. About a mile out they 
were halted by a detail of Bed Cross men, who 



8 2 The Sixth Massachusetts 

directed them to the locality of the company as 
nearly as they knew. Another mile passed, when 
they were halted by the outpost of the 6th and 
were told that Company A was one half-mile beyond 
upon the hill. They started on, but a moment after 
were recalled by a messenger sent by Major Taylor, 
who was in charge of the force in the trenches which 
they had passed. He feared their being ambus- 
caded, and detained them in the trenches with his 
command. Two or three hours later word was 
received that the road was clear to the company, 
and part of the detail went on with the coffee, 
reaching the company without accident, where it 
is needless to say they were warmly welcomed. 

The night in the trenches was spent in needless 
alarm. About midnight a horse was heard clat- 
tering down the hard road, when Lieutenant 
Langhorn, who had won the admiration of the 
men the night before by his bravery, appeared. 
He was greeted with the remark, " Are n't you 
afraid you 11 be shot, lieutenant ? " and replied, 
" That is what we are paid for." Later Major 
Taylor was relieved owing to illness and Captain 
Greig was left as acting major. Morning broke, 
and the surgeons and their assistants were free 
to return to camp as there had been no casualties 
at the front. 




Major Edward J. Gihon. 



Guanica 85 

Port Poxce, Porto Rico, July 28, 1898. 

Secretary War. Washington: 

In the affair of the 26th, Capt. Edward J. Gihon of 
Co. A was wounded in the left hip, Corp. H. J. Pryor of 
Co. L slightly wounded in hand; Private James Drum- 
niond, Co. K, two wounds in neck, Private I>. F. Bos- 
tic, Co. L, slightly wounded right arm. All of 6th 
Massachusetts all doing well. 

The Spanish retreat from this place was precipitate, 
they leaving rifles and ammunition in barracks and forty 
or fifty sick in hospitals. The people are enjoying a 
holiday in our arrival. Miles. 

General Garretson telegraphed : — 

" The following officers of the command are respect- 
fully commended for gallantry and coolness under fire : 
Maj. C. K. Darling, Capt. E. J. Gihon, who was pain- 
fully wounded early in the action and remained in 
command of the company until it reached camp." 

The night following the battle a rumored attack 
on the camp called all available men into service. 
Adjutant Ames, who had started to the front on a 
caisson, was ordered back to take command by 
General Garretson. The troops marched out half 
a mile from camp, where they were halted with 
orders not to proceed unless firing ahead began. 
At the end of a couple of hours, as no Spaniards 
materialized the men returned to camp. 

A private of Company A writes of the battle : 

"It was a curious thing, and one that was not noticed 
until after the battle, and that was the lack of superior 



86 The Sixth Massachusetts 

officers at the front. There was no colonel or lieutenant 
colonel, majors, chaplain, or surgeons, and it has been 
a joke ever since, especially about our major, who came 
as far as the out} tost, and from that time we saw no 
more of him. But Adjutant Ames, Captain Gihon, 
Lieutenants Gray and Langhorn, were in the thickest of 
the fierht, cheering the boys and oiymp- advice." 

The experiences of men for the first time under 
fire were various, and at times amusing. With the 
coolness of being alone in the w r oods one man took 
out his pipe and lighted it, as though the Spring- 
fields did not make smoke enough to locate us ; 
another chased his hat down the side of the road, 
while a third declined to shoot a Spaniard with any 
gun but his own, and went up and down his com- 
pany line to find his gun to exchange it. 

This being our one battle has given it undue 
prominence. On the other hand, many of the 
men during the summer on outpost and provost 
guard duty were placed in situations where a 
steady nerve was more difficult than in the excite- 
ment of battle. A few evenings after the battle, 
some of the men from Company I had an experi- 
ence described by one of them as follows : — 

Sergeant George G. King of Company I, Con- 
cord, in his letter of July 27th gives the following 
account of a night attack : — 

"About nine o'clock Arthur Armstrong, who was 
three men below me on the dark road, heard a horse's 



Guanica 87 

footsteps near him. The horse single-footed down the 
road toward Armstrong, but the wood was so dark that 
he couldn't see anything but the black mass. When 
the right time came he shouted 'Halt' twice. The 
horse slowed down, stopped, and getting no answer, 
Armstrong fired over to scare the rider into saying 
something. When he heard the gun the horse turned 
and ran back. I could hear the whole performance, and 
have n't a doubt but what there was a rider. He sent 
the stoiy down and waited. At ten they called us in. 
Just as those of us who were above him were crossing 
Armstrong's coast, we heard the hoof-beats again way 
up the road. It was too dark then to see anything, but 
we waited. The horse stopped almost out of hearing. 
I told Arthur to come along with me to find out what 
it was. We knew there was Spanish cavalry around, 
and that there was nothing to prevent their getting over 
that road and cutting in behind the outposts if we 
did n't stop them. We went perhaps a hundred yards 
and then we heard the sound of half a dozen horses' 
feet coming at a gallop. I whispered to Arthur to 
come back and ambush with the others. We had just 
time. I was nearest the horses, and when the black 
mass loomed up not twenty feet away I holloaed to 
halt. They made no pretence of stopping, and I pulled, 
but my gun missed fire. Just then they were within ten 
feet and I saw they were riderless. But just at the 
same time three of the boys fired. I shouted to stop 
them, but the fun had begun and seven of them emptied 
their rifles. All the horses but one turned and ran. 
One was badly hurt and fallen. I told two of the boys 
to shoot him. Poor fellow ! they finished him, and we 
went in. Our skirmish is quite a joke now, but we 
have the satisfaction of knowing we did the right thing, 



88 The Sixth Massachusetts 

and of knowing too, that when the blood gets stirred 
you forget to be afraid, which is a discovery bringing 
immense relief." 

The abundance and cheapness of mangoes were 
too great a temptation to be resisted, although 
warned against them by friendly natives. A 
prevalence of cracked lips in a short time testified 
to that danger if nothing worse. 

Oranges were occasionally found, but they were 
still green, while pineapples had just gone by. 

The orders that men were to go in no store or 
building of any kind were given, and a guard 
stationed at all liquor stores (which in Porto Rico 
means all stores) saw r that this rule was strictly 
enforced. In spite of this certain men managed to 
"fall off the water wagon " with a bans*. 

The day after landing a member of the regiment 
who had come off the " Yale " ill, went to the 
surgeons at the division hospital tents and asked 
for medicine. He w T as told to drink no coffee and 
to eat no hardtack or tomatoes. " Drink tea and 
get some nourishing food " was the prescription 
given. He was told they had nothing of that kind 
at the dispensary and was given an order on Captain 
Hani. The order was presented to Captain Ham 
and he " 0. K.'d" it, and gave the man an order 
on the supplies on one of the ships in the harbor. 
Hiring a boat a visit was made to the supply ship, 



Guanica 89 

with the result that " no small supplies could be 
dispensed." Used up and sick, the private dragged 
himself back to camp, where he met Adjutant 
Ames. He heard his story and immediately took 
the man and gave him what he wished from his 
private stock. Later, West, his servant, appeared 
at the dog tent where the man was lying, with a 
quart of hot tea, also from the adjutant's store. 
The lieutenant colonel has probably forgotten the 
kindness that day shown a private, but be kept a 
man out of the hospital, who now returns thanks. 

The regiment was moved from its first camp on 
the 28th to a field a short distance back from the 
coast during the two days we remained there. 
When the regiment moved on the 30th Major 
Priest was left with Companies B and D for guard 
duty. 



90 The Sixth Massachusetts 



CHAPTER VI 

RESIGNATION OF OFFICERS AT PONCE 

r^fULY 27. A foothold having been won at 
J Gnanica and sufficient forces landed to hold that 
section, Commander Davis left Guanica with the 
"Dixie," "Gloucester," "Annapolis," and "Wasp," 
for the port of Ponce to capture lighters for the 
use of the United States army. There was no re- 
sistance, the Spaniards having evacuated the place, 
surrendering to Commander Davis on demand, and 
the American flag was raised on the 28th. Sixty 
lighters and twenty sailing vessels were found and 
appropriated. General Miles soon after arrived 
with the transports conveying General Ernst's bri- 
gade, which was landed at once and entered the city 
amidst great enthusiasm and applause. Harding 
Davis says " Ponce had the surrender habit," and 
that it was unsafe for a uniformed man to enter 
the town if he did not wish to receive an official 
and unconditional surrender. 

General Miles issued the following proclamation : 

"In the prosecution of the war against the kingdom 
of Spain by the people of the United States, in the 




Nelson A. Miles, 
Major-General commanding U. S. Army. 



Resignation of Officers 93 

cause of liberty, justice, and humanity, its military 
forces have come to occupy the island of Porto Rico. 
They come bearing the banners of freedom, inspired by 
a noble purpose, to seek the enemies of our Government 
and of yours, and to destroy or capture all in armed 
resistance. They bring to you the fostering arms of a 
free people, whose greatest power is justice and human- 
ity to all living within their fold. Hence the}* release 
you from your former political relations, and, it is 
hoped, this will be followed by your cheerful acceptance 
of the Government of the United States. 

" The chief object of the American military forces 
will lie to overthrow the armed authority of Spain and 
give the people of your beautiful island the largest 
measure of liberty consistent with this military occupa- 
tion. They have not come to make war on the people 
of the country, who for centuries have been oppressed. 
But on the contrary, they bring protection not only to 
yourselves, but to your property, promote your prosper- 
ity, and bestow the immunities and blessing of our 
enlightened and liberal institutions and Government. 

"It is not their purpose to interfere with the existing 
laws and customs which are wholesome and beneficial 
to the people, so long as they conform to the rules of the 
military administration, in order and justice. This is 
not a war of devastation and desolation, but one to 
give all the advantages and blessings of enlightened 
civilization." 

July 30. With the Gth Illinois as advance guard, 
followed by four batteries of artillery, the 6th Massa- 
chusetts regiment started from Guanica at 9 a. m.. 
anxious to overtake the retreating Spaniards. With 



94 The Sixth Massachusetts 

colors flying and enlivened by the martial music of 
the band we marched through the village, cheered 
by the natives and the remaining troops. The 
band played us out of town and again by the 
trenches and the field where the battle had been 
fought, and then, well, they had other use for their 
breath. Were it not a part of the suffering of the 
regiment, the story of the gradual dissolution of 
our band from Guanica to Ponce until a bass drum 
and clarionet were about all the instruments left 
at the head of the column would be amusing. 
With the adaptability of Yankees, however, when 
Ponce was readied a full corps was improvised 
from our men, and they blew us through the 
town. 

Yauco was reached about 2 p. m., where we re- 
ceived a welcome such as can be shown only in the 
over-demonstrative temperaments of an excitable 
people. The enthusiasm, however, here as in all 
other places was confined mostly to the lower 
classes, who shouted, danced, yelled, ran after the 
band, and became fairly insane when it played, it 
being the first time many of them had ever seen 
or heard such an organization. 

July 31. Yauco was left at 7.30 a.m., and the 
regiment marched ten miles to Tallaboa. 

Major Darling returned to Yauco when the regi- 
ment left Tallaboa the following day, where Com- 



Resignation of Officers 95 

pany L had been left on provost duty, and gave the 
citizens their first lesson in the method of United 
States administration. Dr. Gross remained there 
also in charge of the hospital, with fifty-two of our 
sick men. 

Extract of letter of private, Company L : — 

"... On July 30 our brigade left Guanica and marched 
eight miles to Yauco, which is quite a nice little place. 




Spanish Block-House. 



We camped there over night, and early the next morn- 
ing the rest of the push all started except Company L, 
which was left behind to garrison the town for a while. 
We had an ideal camp ground on the hillside, and the 
surrounding view was grand, — large sugar-cane fields, 



96 The Sixth Massachusetts 

cocoanut-trees, banana-trees, mangoes, and coffee. It 
was immense, and the mountains all around, and with 
the weather we had this life was like a dream. On 
our right was the town, back of us was the edge of a 
precipice, and to our left down the hill was a winding 
river, and all spread out in front of us was this splendid 
view. Major Darling stayed with us and acted as mayor 
of the town, and Lieutenant Jackson was his assistant. 




Native Lauxdhy. 



Every morning numbers of women and girls would pass 
along the road in front of the camp down to the river to 
wash clothes. They squat along the banks, washing the 
clothes on the stones, beating them with a flat stick, and 
the clothes they wash are Avhite and clean as can be. 
The majority of the natives are pretty destitute, and if 
it was n't for the sugar-cane would starve, as they are 
eating sugar-cane all the time. Hardtack is a great 
luxury for Yauco. The natives brought us everything 
we wanted, and I used to o - et mv washing done in ex- 




H. W. Gross, 
First Lieutenant and Assistant Surgeon. 



Resignation of Officers 99 

change for a few hardtacks. There are lots of pretty 
girls here and lots of ugly ones, just like any other 
place. Our company was ordered from Yauco August 
5th to join our regiment at Ponce, so that afternoon we 
were taken to Ponce on a freight train about twenty- 
three miles."' 



August 1. Just after leaving Tallaboa, we passed 
a house where two ladies from the piazza of their 
house were watching the troops. One with snow- 
white hair held out her arms and raised her eyes 
to the heavens in a prayer of quiet thanksgiving 
for the sight. Her dignity and beauty made one 
feel she was saying, " Mine eyes have seen the 
glory of the coming of the Lord/' It was one of 
the few cases of the well-to-do showing enthusiasm. 
Many of the best houses we passed were closed 
and every blind drawn, although occasionally a 
pair of eyes through a lattice would indicate that 
there was Spanish curiosity within. One royal- 
ist, and she looked it, as she sat on her piazza em- 
broidering, refused to raise her eyes, although living 
in a secluded place where any excitement would 
have been welcome. Her servants, however, from 
the coffee plantation adjoining quite atoned for the 
seeming indifference of the mistress. 

It was on this march that Captain Ham, over- 
taking a Avagon stuck in the mud, asked in the ver- 
nacular of Chimmie Fadden, what they were doing. 



ioo The Sixth Massachusetts 

Receiving a reply he then inquired why there were 
only three wagons instead of four, commenting, 
" Just like those d — d volunteers." He then pro- 
ceeded to lighten the load by pitching boxes of 
ammunition off the wagon until he came to a box 
which, as it looked neither like canned tomatoes 
or ammunition, he was unable to account for. In- 
quiring what it was, the " L " man replied, " That 
is the ( articifer's ' box." "Articifer, articifer," 
repeated the captain, " and what in the h — 1 is 
an articifer ? " 

When the regiment left Guanica for Ponce, the 
men were in heavy marching order, which meant 
besides their guns and cartridge belts, a canteen, 
haversack with rations and fifty extra rounds 
of ammunition, their rolls wrapped in half a shel- 
ter tent with blanket, poncho, and tent stakes, 
and every personal article owned by the soldier, 
the total weight of all exceeding forty pounds. 
On no march made by the regiment was the 
distance covered in one day in excess of what a 
well man could walk in this climate. But with- 
out exception the marches made by the regiment 
were through the middle and heat of the day, on 
roads rocky, sandy, or muddy which led over 
mountains, or through valleys where the sun beat' 
down with merciless rays, between forests, where 
every breath drawn was like air of an over-heated 



Resignation of Officers 101 

conservatory on a summer's day. The clay's 
march often started by fording a river, when the 
men's shoes would be filled with water which soon 
blistered their feet, so that at the end of two or 
three hours' walking became agony, when shoes 
would be taken off and every experiment from 




Five Minutes' Rest. 

going barefooted to the primitive sandal would be 
tried as a relief. Men whose blood had been ex- 
hausted, whose vitality had been lost from star- 
vation, and who told too plainly the story of their 
suffering in the drawn faces and sunken eyes, 
taxed beyond their strength, would fall beside the 
road, too weary to know what was said or to care 
what was done. Everything that was not abso- 
lutely necessary, and in many cases articles that 



102 The Sixth Massachusetts 

were, including sometimes parts of blankets and 
even ponchos, were thrown away, in order to 
lighten their loads. 

These were men from one of the best regiments 
in an army of volunteers of whom it was said : — 

" Far more offered indeed than the government 
was ready to accept, and a most rigid system of health 
inspection was inaugurated in order that none but those 
in a state of full health and capable of enduring the 
hardships of campaigning in a tropical island should be 
enrolled. The result was to give the government one 
of the most physically perfect armies that had ever 
been put in the held." 

When a halt was made for a few minutes' rest 
the ever-present native would go up a cocoanut- 
tree with a rapidity and dexterity that would 
shame a monkey. As the nuts were dropped one 
at a time a general scramble would take place for 
them, the lucky winner carrying off his prize to 
another native, who with one stroke of his deftly 
handled machete would open the end and place 
the coveted milk in reach. No champagne ever 
equalled the sparkle and thirst-quenching pro- 
perty of the cocoanut milk on those marches. 

As in all large bodies of men there is a percen- 
tage of sickness from indiscretions of life or diet, 
so such existed in this regiment. Lack of nourish- 
ing food stimulated a desire for drink, and the 



Resignation of Officers 103 

difficulty of obtaining water on the marches made 
men, when seized with the terrible hunger and 
thirst attendant on exertion in the tropics, not only 
careless but desperate in their disregard of sanitary 
laws. 

There were also exceptional cases when men 
took advantage of the opportunity to fall out in 
order that they might 
get in the stores of the 
town before going to 
the camp for drink. 
But day after day boys 
and men fell by the 
roadside, whose faces 
were purple and whose 
breathing were spas- 
modic gasps for breath ; 
others in dead faints 
and some in convulsions, 
shrieking like maniacs 
for the water they could 
not have, left by the roadside with some comrade, 
to follow on as best they could or to be picked up 
by the ambulance or surgeons, while the main line 
pushed forward with the speed of a forced march. 

The feelings of the regiment can perhaps be 
easier imagined than described, when after all it 
had endured, such articles as the following editorial 




After Cocoanuts. 



104 The Sixth Massachusetts 

from the Baltimore " Sun " of August 6, began to 
reach camp. 

Historic Regiments. 

" The 6th Massachusetts was received, on its recent 
passage through Baltimore with great enthusiasm, and 
some of our municipal officials are said to have wept 
in the exuberance of the glorious emotions stirred by 
the sight of it. It has since distinguished itself in a 
sinister way. When paid off the other day it made a 
discreditable row. Being sent afterward to Porto Rico, 
its members lagged behind on the march toward San 
Juan in a manner the reverse of gallant. All its regi- 
mental officers but one are said to have resigned. Its 
record is on a par with that of the 71st New York, re- 
ported by General Kent as having obstructed the advance 
of his men in the fight before Santiago by lying down 
so persistently that Kent's men had to march over their 
prostrate forms. The present 6th Massachusetts seems 
to be of the class of warriors that win their glory before 
the righting begins. Its predecessor was most famous 
for what it suffered from Baltimore brickbats." 

" Et tu, Brute ! " 

The question is often asked since our return, 
" Did the men fall out in such numbers ? " Yes, 
they did, not only from the 6th Massachusetts and 
other volunteer regiments, but also from the 
regulars. Men who had been starved, or dieted, 
if you please, until all reserve strength had gone, 
and were then expected to do the work of strong 
men, simply could not. Nearly a month had 



Resignation ot Officers 105 

passed since the regiment had received food that 
was sufficiently nourishing for a working diet, and 
the result was what might have been expected. 
The blame for falling out, if blame there be, 
belongs not to the enlisted men, but to whoever 
or whatever was responsible for allowing such a 
condition of affairs to arise, or still more to con- 
tinue to exist. 

That a large percentage of the general sickness 
which afterwards rendered over half the regiment 
unfit for duty is due to this same cause of weak- 
ened constitutions being more susceptible to disease, 
there can be no doubt. That there was also a 
moral influence working unconsciously against 
discipline and self-control from a loss of confidence 
in their officers' ability to rectify wrong, after the 
experiences the regiment had been through on the 
" Yale," is entirely probable. 



IN HEAVY MARCHING ORDER. 



When the order " forward " was given, 
And the column stretched out and marched 
Over roads that were rough and unfinished, 
Through forests all burned and parched ; 
With their rolls, at the first all too heavy, 
Increasing as hours dragged away, 
But some carried a burden far greater 
That could not be thrown off with the day. 



106 The Sixth Massachusetts 

A burden of memories vivid, 

Burned into the soul with God's fire. 

Of life's opportunities wasted 

Through failings and weakness so dire. 

Which daily grew brighter and brighter 

Like iron made ready to bend, 

Being heated and hammered and shapen 

By God's blacksmith, the judgment of men. 

And when the clay's journey had ended, 
And men threw their burdens aside, 
To lie down aweary and slumber 
Like boats resting light on the tide ; 
Then the burden was felt in its fulness. 
Believed from the physical pain, 
As through weary nights tossed the soldier 
On the endless march in the brain. 

For if nature through over-exertion 

Claimed the physical man for sleep, 
The brain, as though weary of reason, 
Bushed backward, fond memories to keep 
With those far away from camp turmoil 
Amid pleasures uncolored by strife, 
To a scene and old friends once familiar, 
All dearer — far dearer — than life. 

God, in thy infinite mercy, 
Lift this load from a heart-broken man, 
Send sleep without dreams to refreshen 
The nights now passed under Thy ban. 
Till the journey of life gladly ended 
We cast down the burden to One, 
Who in fulness of knowledge must pity 
Such soldiers for sake of Thv Son. 



Resignation of Officers 107 

August 4. The command arrived at Police in 
the afternoon after a cruel march of twelve miles, 
presenting a straggling and forlorn appearance, 
which not even the appeal to " old Glory on the 
hill " could disguise. United ^ 
States troops had already ^ NT^^^ 
taken possession of the city, ^^^^^^fc 
and as we entered the town -t».<*.*,*»*™«*<».**>™<- 

we found among the crowds lining; the streets 
numbers of army and naval officers, immaculate 
in white duck, " sizing us up." The men were 
completely exhausted, but they took a tremendous 
brace, stimulated by our improvised band playing 
national airs. The reception given the regiment 
was an enthusiastic one, but the troops were too 
" done up " to enjoy or appreciate it. 

Camp was pitched about two miles beyond Ponce 
in an old sugar-cane field, rough with furrows and 
covered with stones, where we had our only expe- 
rience with centipedes. Scarcely a night passed 
without Hospital Steward Ryder being awakened 
to relieve some sufferer, but fortunately, owing to 
his peculiarly efficient treatment, there were no fatal 
cases. 

Up to this time the life of the regiment on the 
island had been one of such hardship that the eyes 
of the men had been blinded to the beauties of 
nature. That we had marched through avenues 



108 The Sixth Massachusetts 

of cocoanut-trees, along roads bordered with coffee 
plantations growing in the shadow of banana or 
orange trees, over mountains whose summits were 
crowned with royal palms and tree ferns, under 
precipices of rock festooned with delicate, trailing 
vines over a groundwork of moss, by rocks whose 




A Company Stkeet. 

every crystal seemed to furnish substance for some 
flowering plant, was obvious to few. With bowed 
heads and eyes blinded by dust and perspiration, 
there was no place for beauty. Occasionally a man 
would reach for an orchid hanging from some way- 
side rock, or would exclaim on the panoramic view 



Resignation of Officers 109 

which would open before us as we rounded some 
sharp curve, where thousands of feet below a stream 
like a silver ribbon would glisten for a moment in 
the sun, and then hide itself in its home under the 
dark foliage. If we passed a brook splashing down 
over the rocks from its mountain source, it was 
not the clearness of the water or the sylvan-like 
haunts in delicate ferns arched over the bed of the 
brook that was remarked, but the possibility of 
getting a drink or a canteen filled regardless of 
the possible typhoid germs ere an order should 
sound to fall in and not to drink it. 

The character and disposition of the natives 
have been over-estimated and judged entirely too 
kindly. The enthusiastic reception accorded the 
troops on all sides in the country and by the crowds 
in the streets was the expression not of the sub- 
stantial class of the island but of the crowds always 
foremost on such occasions in expressing the spirit 
of the mob, whether it be kindly or threatening ; 
and, while it is of course pleasant to receive a 
welcome even from the irresponsible class, it is not 
safe to allow that to stand as the expression of the 
minds of the intelligent natives. They were like 
children who, pleased with a new toy or amusement, 
and dazzled by the uniforms and brass bands, gave 
over-demonstrative expressions and signs of affec- 
tion. That this was only ephemeral was shown 



no The Sixth Massachusetts 

after a very few weeks, by the diminution of re- 
spect felt for and shown the Americans, when the 
novelty of the situation had worn away and they 
began to discover that the Americans were not 
there to entertain them or to enable them to spend 
the rest of their days in idleness, good-natured 




A Gkoup of Natives. 

though they be. On the other hand the shopkeepers 
were not only not demonstrative but were in most 
cases rascally dishonest in their dealings with the 
very men who were guarding their stores from the 
violence of the lower classes. Prices were not only 



Resignation of Officers i i i 

increased but in some cases positively doubled over 
those asked the natives, an abuse which became so 
great that it became necessary to threaten them 
with having their stores closed to remedy it. 
When the troops were paid in Utuado the first time 
in three months, the men had a large amount of 
money and spent it freely, even recklessly, when 
advantage was taken on all sides, both as to rates 
of exchange and in prices charged. 

Those who go to Porto Rico expecting to find 
a simple-minded, kind-hearted, honest native, will 
be greatly surprised by the revelation of the true 
state of affairs. From the children in the market 
through all classes of tradespeople Ave found it 
necessary to be constantly on our guard. Their 
attitude toward honesty was expressed by one of 
the leading physicians in Utuado by " We call an 
honest man a fool down here." That such a state 
of affairs should exist cannot be wondered at when 
for years their political system has been in the 
hands of unscrupulous and money-making officials. 
" Americano mucho bueno" is pleasant but cheap, 
and " Americano " will become to the populace 
" mucho malo " just so soon as Uncle Sam sits 
down to stay. 

No Yankee was ever more keen for business 
than were the Porto Rican shopkeepers, and the 
rapidity with which they acquired our trading 



112 



The Sixth Massachusetts 



vocabulary was exceeded only by that of their 
children. Frequently the small boy who had 
picked up in a few weeks enough English, acted 
as interpreter for his less skilful father behind the 
counter, taking change and learning a new vocabu- 
lary at the same time. Children would walk along 
the street and hold up an article, naming it in 
Spanish, until you repeated the name of the article 
in English, when they would go on their way re- 
peating the English word aloud over and over until 
they could claim it as part of their new vocabulary. 
Like children they were proud of the new tool, 
but they invariably wished you " Good-night " at 
six o'clock in the morning. 

I passed one day in the country a small lad 
walking with his head down on his return from 
town, and who was all oblivious to the approach 
of a stranger, so wrapped up was he in his newly 
acquired English, which he was repeating aloud 
over and over, " Get to — of here." 

August 5. Rumors of disagreement and discon- 
tent existing at headquarters were confirmed by 
the resignation of the three senior officers of the 
regiment, together with the chaplain and one 
captain. 

The "Boston Journal" gave Massachusetts 
people the first intimation of trouble in the follow- 
ing despatch : 




Coloxel Charles Woodward. 



Resignation of Officers 115 

Five Officers Resign. 

Great Sensation Caused by Trouble in the Sixth 
Massachusetts now with Miles in Porto llico. 

Boston, Aug. 4. 

A special cablegram to the "Journal" from Ponce, 
Porto Rico, says : 

A tremendous sensation has occurred in the Sixth 
Massachusetts regiment, which is in General Garretson's 
brigade. The friction between the line officers of the 
regiment and the officers of the brigade, which has 
been growing ever since the command left Cuba, reached 
its climax Monday when Colonel Woodward, Lieuten- 
ant Colonel Chaffin, Major Taylor, Chaplain Dusseault, 
and Captain Goodell of Co. K resigned their commissions. 

The exact reason which prompted them to take this 
action is not at present known. 

The resignation leaves Maj. Charles K. Darling in 
command of the regiment. 

The matter has been fully reported to General Miles 
and a rigid investigation has been ordered. By military 
law to resign in the face of the enemy means a court- 
martial. 

Ponce, Aug. 7, 1898. 

Governor Wolcott: 

The resignation of Col. Chas. F. Woodward, 6th 
Massachusetts, has been accepted to-day, August 5, and 
I recommend appointment of Lieut. Col. Edmund Rice 
to fill vacancy. Colonel Rice is here, and I am sure he 
will make that regiment an honor to the State. 

Nelson A. Miles, 

Major General Commanding Arm//. 



1 1 6 The Sixth Massachusetts 

" Governor Wolcott : 

" The colonel and lieutenant colonel Sixth Massachu- 
setts have resigned. I recommend Lieut. Col. Edmund 
Rice, U. S. Volunteers, who had best regiment in army 
of Potomac, Nineteenth Massachusetts, be appointed 
Colonel." 




When the resignation of these officers was ac- 
cepted, Major Darling, the senior major and next 
in command, was in charge of affairs at Yauco. 
Major Priest was engaged in a like duty at 
Guanica, leaving Captain Cook the senior officer at 
that time in camp, who acted as colonel until the 
return, four days later, of Major Darling. Captain 
Barrett of Company M, who at the same time was 
the subject of charges of inefficiency, went before 
the board and was entirely exonerated from any 
blame, the judgment being that whatever demor- 
alization there had been was the necessary sequence 
of a disordered condition of affairs at headquarters. 

During this unfortunate period, when the regi- 
ment was left with no officer higher than a captain 
in command, the men, if ever inclined to show a 
spirit of disaffection or demoralization, would have 
shown it then. No sign of "bad blood" was 




Major Charles K. Darling. 



Resignation of Officers 119 

manifest. When the news of the resignation of 
the officers became known, the men gathered in 
groups and discussed it, but there was no sugges- 
tion of breach of discipline. 

Before leaving, the lieutenant colonel said good- 
bye to several companies and was cheered by the 
men. Individually there were many men in the 
regiment who for years had known the officers 
and whose personal feeling was entirely one of 
kindness. 

Chaplain Dusseault was greatly liked by the 
men, and his departure was regretted by all. 

Order was quickly restored by Governor Wol- 
cott's prompt action : — 

" Colonel Rice of the regular army was appointed by 
General Miles to command the regiment, and Adjutant 
Ames was appointed lieutenant colonel. Major Dar- 
ling became senior major, Major Priest of the third 
battalion moved up one point, and Captain Gihon of 
Company A was appointed acting major of the third 
battalion. 

k * In addition to the coming of Col. Edmund Rice as 
the permanent commander of the regiment, a week 
later Adjt. Butler Ames was promoted to lieutenant 
colonel; Lieutenant Gray of Company A to captain, 
2d Lieutenant Hunton of Company G to 1st lieutenant, 
and Sergeant Major Pierson became a 2d lieutenant. 
The only other two promotions made thereafter in the 
regiment were of Sergeants Draper and Edwards to 
2d lieutenants. Lieutenant Coolidge of Company E 



120 The Sixth Massachusetts 

became later the permanent regimental adjutant. 
Captain Gihon of Company A, who, though severely 
wounded in the .skirmish at Yauco road, declined to 
leave his company during the action, was recommended 
for promotion ; but the War Department's ruling that 
only two majors were to be allowed to a regiment of 
infantry in eases where there were not already three, 
prevented this deserved recognition of his merit. He 
was, however, commissioned by Governor Wolcott as 
major, and thereafter commanded a battalion." 

Movements of magnitude are usually of neces- 
sity slowly put into motion. A pleasing exception 
to this was the rapidity with which the machinery 
of the Young Men's Christian Association was got 
into working order by having, three days after the 
President's call for volunteers, a meeting of the 
International Committee of the Y. M. C. Associa- 
tion in the City of New York, when a decision was 
reached for immediate action. We cannot here go 
into the history of the wonderful rapidity with 
which every camp was supplied with a Y. M. C. A. 
headquarters ; suffice it to say it was done, and 
that without strain or friction in the organization. 

Only those familiar with camp life realize what 
the absence of all places and opportunities for 
social life means to the soldier. It is hard for him 
to carry writing materials or to find a place to 
write his letters. The big tents of the Y. M. C. A. 
became at once a reading room, writing room, 



Resignation ot Officers 



12 1 



social hall as well as a church. The spirit of 
tolerance and the atmosphere of brotherhood 
characterized the headquarters, while the entire 
absence of sectarianism made all feel equally at 
home. Second only to the Red Cross society in 
importance of all organizations connected with our 
army was the Y. M. C. A. 

As an exponent of the best features of this 
system the men of the 6th Massachusetts were 




Mr. Dwigiit L. Rogers, of the Y. M. C. A. 

particularly fortunate in having assigned to them 
Mr. Dwight L. Rogers, a State Secretary of the As- 
sociation in Massachusetts. He was with the regi- 
ment during the entire summer, and after t lie 
resignation of the chaplain, the Rev. Mr. Dusseault, 
he conducted the Sunday services as well. II is 



122 The Sixth Massachusetts 

uniform devotion to the good of the men, and his 
sincerity in his untiring efforts to help them in 
every way, has won for him a place in the hearts 
of the men that will last as long; as the remem- 
brance of the name of Porto Rico. 

For reasons known only to those in command at 
the time there had been no religious services of 
any kind held in the regiment from July 2d at 
Camp Alger until August 7th at Ponce, when they 
were continued by Mr. Rogers. After this elate not 
a Sunday passed without services unless marching. 

August 6. The regiment was supplied with new 
Krag-Jorgensen rifles, when they turned in their old 
Springflelds and part of their extra ammunition. 

The first bread we had seen since leaving Camp 
Alger was found here, and of a quality equal to 
the best French bread. Milk also was bought 
from the wagons near the camp. 

August 8. Passes were issued for a number of 
men to go to town, where they were able to a;et 
a " square meal " and lay in a supply of tobacco, 
etc. The French Hotel had not then become so 
popular but a private could get a table. 

Distribution was made in camp of supplies re- 
ceived from the Massachusetts Volunteer Aid 
Society of pipes, tobacco, canned fruit, and comfort 
bags. 

These last were valued by the men more highly 



Resignation of Officers 123 

than anything received, and were retained when 
everything else was thrown away. The writer 
still has the one made by No. 62, First Unitarian 
Society, and hopes the sender of it may some day 
see this and accept his thanks. 

Buttons, patches, rents, were all " attempted " 
by the men after receiving their " housewives," if 
the results were not altogether satisfactory. 

Whatever formalities are essential to good army 
discipline were waived on the day when the 
carriage containing Captain Gihon arrived in 
camp from Guanica. He had been kept in the 
hospital there when the regiment left, and no one 
knew how serious his wound might be. The word 
of his return as a convalescent spread quickly 
through the camp, when the carriage was immedi- 
ately surrounded by the men, who voiced their 
welcome to the captain in rousing cheers, and 
demonstrated their affection for him to a degree 
that made every officer in sight wish he might 
have been in like position. 

General orders No. 19. 

Congratulates the officers and men of the Sixth 
Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry that having had to a 
greater extent than others of his command an opportu- 
nity to show their efficiency under fire they have not 
failed under the test. 

General Garretson. 



124 The Sixth Massachusetts 

Boston, December, 1898. 

Colonel Woodward of the 6th regiment sent his resig- 
nation to the governor this morning, and it was immedi- 
ately accepted. 

Col. Charles F. Woodward has been the commanding 
officer of the 6th regiment, M. V. M., for about eighteen 
months. When the call for troops was issued last 
spring, Colonel Woodward was mustered into the 
United States service and went to Camp Alger, Ya., in 
command of the regiment. 

The trouble which culminated in his resignation 
began at Camp Alger. He incurred the displeasure of 
Brigadier General Garretson, who commanded the 
brigade to which the 6th was assigned, by objecting to 
having Company L, the colored company, removed from 
the regiment. 

General Garretson did not wish to have colored troops 
in his command, especially as it was only one colored 
company in a white regiment, and he endeavored to 
have them transferred to the 9th Ohio colored battalion. 

Colonel Woodward, however, objected, and the idea 
was abandoned. 

When the regiment landed in Porto Rico, several com- 
plaints were made against Colonel Woodward, alleging 
that lie remained on the transport after his regiment had 
landed, and did not lead them in the skirmish which 
took place on the morning after they landed. 

The breach between the brigade officers and the regi- 
mental officers grew wider, and, finally, when the regi- 
ment arrived at Ponce, a board of inquiry was ordered 
to examine Colonel Woodward and several other officers 
of the regiment as to efficiency. 

The officers thought that this was simply an excuse 



Resignation of Officers 125 

to force them out of the service, and, consequently, on 
August 4, five of them resigned. These five were 
Colonel Woodward, Lieutenant Colonel Chal'lin, Major 
Taylor, Chaplain Dusseault, and Captain Goodell of 
Company K. 

Although he resigned his commission as colonel of 
the 6th Massachusetts regiment, United States Volun- 
teers, Colonel Woodward was still colonel of the 6th 
regiment, M. V. M., and it was this commission that he 
has resigned to-day. 

The law which permitted Colonel Woodward to retain 
his commission in the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, 
after having been commissioned colonel in the United 
States volunteers, as well as the law creating the provi- 
sional militia, was substantially the product of the brain 
of Colonel Woodward, who at that time was a member 
of the State Senate, and chairman of the committee on 
military affairs on the part of the Senate. 

Following his resignation from the United States 
volunteer service and his return home, he reported for 
duty as colonel of the 6th regiment, M. V. M., much to 
the surprise of military men. 

His resignation, which was accepted to-day, was anti- 
cipated, as some eight weeks ago he turned over to the 
quartermaster general the limited amount of state prop- 
erty in his possession, which is always preliminary to an 
officer's leaving the service. 

When rumors of war began to take the form of 
probability, Col. Edmund Rice, U. S. A., at that 
time stationed at Tokio, Japan, asked to be trans- 
ferred to duty in the United States, where he might 
be ready for service if war was declared. Thus it 



126 The Sixth Massachusetts 

happened that when the 6th was left without a 
colonel, Lieutenant Colonel Rice, being then at 
Ponce on General Miles's staff, was available for 
colonel of the 6th Massachusetts, U. S. V. His 
reluctance to accept this position after application 
had been made by some of the officers for another 
colonel explains his delay of several days in joining 
his command after his appointment. 

That the 6th was fortunate, no matter how effi- 
cient an officer may have been deprived of promo- 
tion by this appointment, no member of the 
regiment will doubt. Seldom does good fortune 
favor men in the field as on this occasion. Fol- 
lowing the resignation of the regiment's officers, 
rumors were broadcast as to the demoralized con- 
dition of the regiment, until its reputation was 
in the balance of public opinion. That at this 
supreme moment such a man as Colonel Rice 
should have been instantly available did much to 
save the good name, and prove to the country that 
the 6th was all right. The after record of the 
regiment dispelled whatever doubt existed in the 
minds of the public as to its efficiency, while 
the following sketch of Colonel Rice's career in 
army life is a certificate that " the right man to 
meet the emergency was in the right place." 

Colonel Rice was born in Cambridge, Mass., Decem- 
ber 2, 1842. He entered the Norwich University in 



Resignation of Officers 127 

1856, and remained nearly three years. The degree of 
B.S. was conferred upon him in 1874 as for 1859. 

Captain 19th Massachusetts Volunteers, July 25, 
1861. 

Engaged in the battle of Ball's Bluff", Peninsular 
Campaign, battles of IVlyron's Mills, Siege of York- 
town, West Point, Fair Oaks, Oak Grove, Peach 
Orchard, Allen's Farm, Savage Station, White Oak 
Swamp, Glendale (commanded regiment), Malvern 
Hill, Second Malvern Hill, Bull Run, Fairfax Court 
House, South Mountain, and Antietam (severely 
wounded). 

Major 19th Massachusetts Volunteers, September, 
1862. 

Joined regiment at Falmouth, and engaged in 
the second attack on Fredericksburg, and action at 
Thoroughfare Gap. 

Battle of Gettysburg (wounded twice), in the repulse 
of Pickett's charge. 

Lieutenant Colonel 19th Massachusetts Volunteers, 
July, 1863. Commanded regiment in the Rapidan 
campaign of the Army of the Potomac and battles of 
Bristoe Station, Blackburn's Ford, Robinson's Cross 
Roads, and Mine Run. 

In April, 1864, on the occasion of the review of the 
different corps of the Army by General Grant, the 
19th Massachusetts Volunteers, Lieut. Col. E. Rice 
commanding, was selected by General Meade, as his 
was one of the two bestKlrilled and disciplined regi- 
ments in the Army of the Potomac, to drill before 
Generals Grant, Meade, and Sheridan, and the Corps 
Commanders. 

Commanded regiment in the battles of The Wilder- 
ness, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th of May; and Spottsylvania, 



128 The Sixth Massachusetts 

8th and 9th ; Laurel Hill, 10th and 11th. Captured in the 
assault at the death angle, Spottsylvania, on the morn- 
ing of the 12th of May, 1864, and in North Carolina, 
while being conve)'ed South, escaped by cutting through 
the door of a freight car in which the prisoners were 
confined, and jumped from it while the train was under 
full headway, reached the Union lines, near the Ohio 
River, after travelling twenty-three nights (resting by 
day), having walked between three and four hundred 
miles. 

Colonel 19th Massachusetts Volunteers, July, 1864. 

Rejoined regiment in front of Petersburg, August, 
1864, and in command of Fort Rice, and engaged in the 
battles of Second Deep Bottom, Weldon Railroad, 
Ream's Station, and Second Hatcher's Run. 

In command of Fort Steadman, and Batteries 11 and 
12, in front of Petersburg. 

At the surrender of the Rebel Army at Appomattox 
Court House. 

Mustered out June 30th, and regiment disbanded 
July 20, 1865. 

First Lieutenant 40th I'. S. Infantry, July, 1866, and 
received three brevets in the Regular Army, namely : — - 

Brevet Captain U. S. Army, for gallant and meritori- 
ous services at the battle of Antietam, Md. 

Brevet Major U. S. Army, for gallant and meritorious 
services at the battle of Gettysburg, Penn. 

Brevet Lieutenant Colonel U. S. Army, for gallant 
and meritorious services at the battle of The Wilder- 
ness, Virginia. 

In 1866, was on duty at Camp Distribution, near 
Washington, D. C. 

In February, 1867, ordered to proceed to, and take 
command of. Fort Caswell, N. C. While en route, with 



Resignation of Officers 129 

troops, on steamer "Flambeaux," was wrecked near the 
mouth of Cape Fear River. 

Ordered to, and in command of, post of Hilton Head, 
S. C, June, 1868. 

Presented by Congress with a medal of honor for 
leading the advance of his regiment, and the 42d 
New York, in the charge made to close the gap in 
our line, and repel Pickett's assault. 

"The Congress to Lieut. Col. Edmund Bice, 19th Massa- 
chusetts Volunteers, for conspicuous bravery on the 3d day of 
the battle of Gettysburg." 

In the fierceness of this affair, the 19th Massachusetts 
captured four stands of colors, and lost over one half of 
its numbers, killed and wounded. 

" The conspicuous gallantry of Major Edmund Rice, 
of the 19th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, at the 
third day's battle of Gettysburg, where he was severely 
wounded, did more than the single exertion of any other 
officer on our side to retrieve the day, after the battle 
had been virtually won by Confederates who had 
broken our lines, and were cheering and swinging their 
hats on our captured guns. 

" After the line was broken, the 19th dashed in and 
placed themselves in the rear of the break, and for 
twelve minutes received the enemy's fire, at a distance 
of less than fifteen paces. In that time one man in 
every two of the whole regiment, and seven over, fell, 
including Rice, who was shot in front of his men, 
with his foot on the body of a fallen Confederate, he 
being at that time the officer righting nearest to the 
enemy in our whole line. He fought till he fell. His 
example held them firm at a great crisis in the coun- 
try's history. He held Pickett's heavy column in check 

9 



130 The Sixth Massachusetts 

with a single thin line of his regiment, till re-enforce- 
ments came from right and left, and thus saved the 
day." 

At the close of the Columbian Exposition, where 
Colonel Rice was in charge of 4000 soldiers and 8G 
regular officers, he received the following letter : 

World's Columbian Exposition, 

Chicago, March 15, 1894. 

Cor. Edmund Rice, Commandant, Jackson Park: 

Sir, — I am in receipt of your final Report of the 
Guard and Secret Service of the World's Columbian 
Exposition. Like every part of your work, this docu- 
ment is admirable. It is orderly, concise, and com- 
plete. I shall incorporate it, just as it is, in my own 
report. 

In taking leave of you I must again say what I have 
so often felt and expressed by word of mouth. 

Very soon after I knew you, and from that time on, I 
placed the deepest confidence in you and depended en- 
tirely upon you. Through the great trials, respon- 
sibilities, and anxieties of the years we were together, 
your duties were always discharged with fidelity, and 
the great interests placed in your hands were conducted 
with certainty and precision. This is very astonishing, 
when one recalls the fact that you had but little time 
in which to organize, and that hundreds of millions of 
property, and the welfare of hundreds of thousands 
of people depended upon your skill and attention to 
duty. 

I can only say that there never was an hour in which 
you were not so keenly alive to every physical condi- 



Resignation of Officers 131 

tion about you, as to cause comments upon the apparent 
absence of effort in that direction. 

The World's Columbian Exposition owes you a 
large debt of gratitude, and in its name and my own, 
I wish to thank you, Sir, for the splendid service you 
rendered. 

Faithfully yours, 

[Signed] D. H. Burxham, 

Director of Works, World's Columbian Exposition. 



132 The Sixth Massachusetts 



CHAPTER VII 

UTUADO 

AFTER the landing of the American troops at 
Ponce, the arrival of General Garretson's 
brigade from Guanica led the Spaniards to think 
that there was but one move anticipated or pos- 
sible, that being over the military road direct from 
Ponce to San Juan. Acting upon this supposition, 
they concentrated their forces at Aibonito, a strong, 
strategical point in the mountains, where they 
mined the road for several miles and stored large 
quantities of explosives in the wayside bushes, 
making every preparation for a determined stand 
against the advancing troops. 

Instead of attempting this move, General Miles' s 
inception for the campaign was as follows : General 
Brooke with a force of twelve hundred men went 
east by boat to Arroyo, on the south shore of the 
island, from which point he was to march north, 
intercepting the military road between Aibonito 
and San Juan, thus cutting off the retreat of the 
Spaniards toward the latter city. General Schwan 
marched northwest into the region of Mayaguez, 



Utuado 



T 35 



north of Guanica, from which point he was to go 
to Arecibo and there join General Henry's brigade 
in its advance on San Juan, either by rail or road. 
General Ernst with another division marched out 
over the military road direct from Ponce towards 
Aibonito ; while General Garretson's brigade, which 




IIoAU FROM POXCE TO HaKBOK. 

included the 6th Massachusetts, left Ponce on the 
9th of August, marching directly north towards 
Arecibo over a mountain trail that was considered 
impassable for anything but a native pony, and 
through a section of country where we were told 
the English lan^ua^e had never been heard. 



136 The Sixth Massachusetts 

The march northward across the island was 
started Tuesday morning at 8.30, August 9, with 
the 2d battalion of the 6th, under Major Priest, 
as advance guard. 

The plaza in Ponce had been left three hours 
behind when the regiment was overtaken on the 
road by the new commander, Col. Edmund Rice, 
accompanied by Captain Edgerton of West Point 
and J. N. Taylor, correspondent of the " Globe/' 
Marching had just been resumed after a rest, when 
the new commander rode up, having made rather 
slow progress after overtaking the bull train about 
four miles out of Ponce. 

The colonel was introduced by Captain Edgerton, 
who returned to Ponce soon after. The colonel 
rode ahead, overtaking General Henry at the point 
near the first cam}) where the good road merges 
into the bad. A mile from this point is a little 
settlement called Guaraguaves, at the summit of 
a long hill, but nestled away itself in the pocket 
formed by hills rising almost perpendicularly for 
five hundred to two thousand five hundred feet, 
There was no level ground for camp, so the men 
took to the slopes on the side of a hill which 
was so steep that braces were built to keep them 
from slipping down during the night. To lie on 
the poncho was equal to sleeping on a toboggan 
slide, and in the morning the men found that they 




Colonel Edmund Rice. 



Utuado 



x 39 



and their belongings had parted company by many 
yards. 

It was here that during the night the 6th 
Illinois regiment, camped near us, was stampeded 
by the bulls running down the hill through their 
camp at night, injuring several of them. 

Colonel Rice and Lieutenant Colonel Ames took 
the oath binding them to duty as colonel and 
lieutenant colonel of the 6th about nine o'clock 
Tuesday evening. The following morning our 




A Native Express. 

officers were ready for a prompt start, but it was 
nearly noon when the 6th Illinois took the lead. 

August 10. From this point the road ceased to 
be a road, and we entered on the trail which General 
Stone had undertaken to make passable i'^r the 



140 The Sixth Massachusetts 

troops. To accomplish this a thousand natives had 
heen put to work, who greeted us with cheers and 
the conventional " Mericano mucho bueno " as they 
stood aside for the troops to pass. Their superin- 
tendents each carried an ugly-looking whip, which 
they did not hesitate to use on their employees if 
there was occasion. It was afterwards reported 
that many of the best men had been transferred 




" Dutch Yoke." 



from the work on the pass, and that the govern- 
ment had paid them for working on the plantations 
of the superintendents. 

The day's march took the regiment to the plan- 
tation of Pouvenir, after having marched the 
entire afternoon through a pouring rain, and ended 
the day by fording greatly swollen streams. As an 



Utuado 



141 



attack was considered possible at any time, the 
men had been sent in light marching order, their 
rolls being carried by the ox teams in the rear of 
the column. 

The wagons went heavily loaded, and as the 
regiment did not have its full quota of these, it 
was necessary to economize weight. That Captain 
Ham was conscientious in the discharge of his 




"A Porto Rican Picnic." 

duties, no one will doubt, and he will be remem- 
bered unto the third and fourth generation. One 
day a parrot which one of the men had carried 
many days was allowed to perch on top of one of 
the wagons, until the Captain espied it, when, as 
there could be no extra weight carried, he told the 
parrot to get off its perch. The parrot said, " < re1 



142 The Sixth Massachusetts 

to !" then, as if having forgotten it was not 

speaking to a private, began speaking so rapidly 
in Spanish it was impossible to follow it. 

When night fell, the men were camped without 
cover or protection of any kind at the plantation, 
the teams containing rolls and all provisions being 
far in the rear and unable, owing; to the bad con- 
dition of the roads, to reach the camp that night. 
Different companies managed to start fires about 
which they spent the night, where at eleven o'clock 
volunteers who had returned for coffee arrived 
with a sufficient quantity to give the respective 
companies that comfort, which was their only 
supper. 

This was without exception the worst night spent 
by the regiment during the summer. About mid- 
night a coal-bin under headquarters was discov- 
ered, which had been overlooked by the men in 
their search for shelter. Four soldiers, three of 
whom were Harvard men, crawled into the char- 
coal and there spent the night, which one of them 
described as being comparatively the most com- 
fortable night he had ever spent, the charcoal 
absorbing the water from their clothing and e:ia- 
blinu; them to lie down. 

If the college men, of whom we had an unusu- 
ally large proportion, lacked the muscle with which 
their stronger brothers were blessed, they made up 



Utuado 143 

for it in determination and grit. Of this march, 
Roy Martin wrote : — 

" There is not a general who will not say a good word 
about the dude soldiers. Gentlemen cannot afford to 
do their work poorly. One day, after a hard day's march 
beyond Adjuntas, when the men were hungry, tired, and 
soaked to the skin, a major asked for volunteers to go 
back after enough food to refresh the men. This was 
in a regiment not known as a dude regiment. Five 
men volunteered, and a weary set of men they were, too. 
Four of them were graduates of Harvard and the other 
was a graduate of Technology. They were dudes. 
"Whenever hereafter I hear a Socialist on Boston Com- 
mon damning all wealthy persons, I shall feel like ask- 
ing him what he was doing while so many of the 
American dudes were cleaning the guns, watering the 
mules, and eating hardtack in Porto Rico. 

" The spirit of such soldiers is inspiring. They neither 
boast of themselves nor underrate their enemies, but I 
never doubted for an instant that if General Wilson 
ordered the men to charge on Aibonito Pass, as it was 
expected he would, not a dude soldier would have 
flinched, though death would have claimed all who went 
first. I never doubted, either, that if he had called for 
volunteers every one would have instantly reported him- 
self as ready and anxious for the opportunity to do or 
die." 

One company had been fortunate enough to find 
shelter under an old shed, where during the night 
a big tarantula crawled across a man's face and 
wakened him. He screamed and started to run, 



144 The Sixth Massachusetts 



awakening the others who were near him. They 
all ran out of the shed, crawling over the men 
outside, and started a stampede which did not end 
short of the river, twenty feet below, when the 
men became sufficiently awakened to realize it was 
not a Spaniard. 

A large pigeon-cote was the only visible market, 
and this was patronized so constantly during the 
night that nothing but patches of feathers about 
the ground the following morning told of a " cote 
to let." 

During the night the horse of one of the officers 
fell over the embankment in the rear of head- 
quarters and broke his neck. 

August 11. The following morning the regiment 
pushed on to the top of the divide over a road of 
wet clay, reaching the summit of the mountain, 
from which the harbor of Ponce was plainly visible, 
and from a point a short distance beyond, the sea 
on the north side of the island could be seen, the 
day's march ending at Adjuntas at 3 p. m., where 
another terrible night was spent in mud and rain. 

August 12. The regiment remained in camp at 
Adjuntas, with heavy rains all day. Rumors of 
the enemy's depredations, most of them false or 
misleading, were being received every hour. Peace 
rumors were also in circulation, and there was 
much restlessness under the restraint of slow march- 



Utuado 145 

ing. Late Thursday afternoon, August 12, reports 
of General Schwan's engagement with the enemy 
near Hormigueros the clay before reached camp, 
making everybody wish for an advance. Late 
that evening, when eight companies of the 6th 
Massachusetts were ordered forward, there were 
pleasant anticipations as to what the morrow 
might bring forth. 

August 13. Dawn was greeted by reveille, and 
before eight o'clock, Colonel Rice had left with 
Companies A, H, G, and C of Captain Gihon's 
battalion and I, D, L, and M of Major Priest's 
command. Three days' rations and one hundred 
rounds of ammunition were given each man, while 
a mule pack-train with five clays' rations and extra 
ammunition followed. Major Darling's battalion 
and the whole of the 6th Illinois regiment was left 
in Adjuntas to guard the town and bring up sup- 
plies. There was no delay on this march, as the 
men expected to see Spaniards. Four companies 
of the 19th were to be picked up at Utuado, and 
Arecibo would have been made in another day. 

The march to Utuado, of eighteen miles, which 

had been considered a two clays' journey, was 

made without great exertion in one day. when 

Gen. Guy N. Henry said to the men of the 6th 

and Colonel Rice: "You are doing splendidly; 

not a man has straggled unless he was actually 

10 



146 The Sixth Massachusetts 

prostrated by the sun — ten times as many men 
of the 6th Illinois have fallen out." 

From Adjuntas to Utuado he said to Colonel 
Rice, " Take it easy and stop half way for the 
night." The regiment went through in one day, 
and on arrival at Utuado he said, " Boys, you did 
better than the regulars." 

On our arrival we were told of the signing of 
the protocol, and instead of pushing on toward 
Arecibo, as was expected, we were to go into camp 
indefinitely. We inarched by the town underneath 
the walls of the village cemetery, which were punc- 
tured by portholes made by the Spanish soldiers for 
our reception, and camped in an old sugar-cane field 
on the banks of a river, which in another season 
of the year would have been an excellent location. 
But it was the beginning of the rainy season, and 
the first downpour turned the camp into a mire. 
Day after day the rains continued until the ground, 
which absorbed water like a sponge, was thoroughly 
saturated. When the sun shone, as it did a part 
of each day, it was only to cause a vapor to rise 
from the mire and hasten the decay of the rank 
vegetation which had been trampled into the mud. 
Drains were dug which did not drain but which 
increased the foul odors from freshly-turned soil. 
On every opportunity all articles of clothing and 
blankets would be exposed to the sun, only to be 






Utuado 147 

saturated again with rain before night. There was 
no flooring for the tents, the men being obliged to 
sleep for nearly two weeks on this wet ground with 
nothing but their blankets for protection, until the 
increasing length of the line which answered sick call 
each morning warned officials that a change must 
be made. For the first time since leaving Camp 
Alger the spirits of the men were broken. Singing 
and all forms of camp amusements which furnished 
their daily entertainment were broken off, and when 
night fell, a gloom and stillness pervaded the camp 
that meant despair in the hearts of the men. The 
bugle calls could no longer sound the challenge 
either of " Good boy, Donivan " or the equally 
familiar invitation to " Go out in the woods," 
the absence of which calls was more significant 
of the state of mind of the men than could be 
told in volumes. 

Food was scarce, and what there was had to be 
cooked in the insufficient utensils it had been 
possible to carry, without cover of any kind for a 
cook house. As it rained invariably at meal time 
there were no complaints of the soup or the coffee 
being too strong. 

August 15. The band, two ambulances, and 
some pack-mules arrived from Adjuntas, and out- 
posts were established about four miles out on the 
Arecibo road. The band was quartered in a shed 



148 The Sixth Massachusetts 

where they were able to continue practice regard- 
less of the rain. 

August 16. Major Darling with Companies E, 
K, and B arrived from Adjuntas, together with the 
6th Illinois, Company F being left there on provost 
duty until the 20th. 

August 17. Continuous rain during the past 
two days. An outpost was established on the 
Lares road, the 6th Illinois alternating with our 
regiment. 

As there seemed to be no immediate prospect of 
getting on to Arecibo or receiving supplies from 
that direction, seventy bull-teams were sent back 
to Ponce for supplies. 

The noise attendant on the arrival of such a 
train is peculiar to nothing else. The creaking of 
the heavy, clumsy, overloaded carts, the nasal 
tones of the excited drivers yelling " Weis," and 
other like words, the prodding of the tired animals, 
created an excitement ecpial to the arrival of a 
circus in a country town. 

Mr. Dwight L. Rogers wrote from Utuado, 
August 20th: — 

" This place is in a valley among the hills. Our 
camp is situated on what we are told is the River of 
Life, a stream which at this season runs torpid and 
swollen with the rains. We hope we shall not have 
to stay long on this ground, as the mud is terrible. 



Utuado 149 

Thus far I have kept fairly dry, except my feet, which 
are soaked all the time. Some of the men tell me they 
have not been dry, day or night, for over a week. Thus 
far, however, they seem to be standing the exposure 
well. I am still messing with Company I, and find the 
Concord boys a fine lot of fellows. Our soldiers were 
glad to enlist, and as long as there is need they are will- 
ing to do their duty, but if the war is over they are 
exceedingly anxious to go home. 

"The boys, as I have said, appreciate any little thing 
the Association can do for them. Hardly a day passes 
but what some of the Fitchburg boys tell what a great 
send-off the Y. M. C. A. gave them when they came 
away from there, and others I often hear say, ' I am 
going to join the Association as soon as I get back.' 
The boys who left school are now anxious to be back 
in time to start the year with their classes." 

On Sunday service was to have been held as 
usual by Mr. Rogers at ten o'clock, but, owing to 
a misunderstanding with the band and their not 
arriving at that hour, it w r as postponed until four 
o'clock. The colonel, being engaged and not 
knowing of the postponement, walked out in front 
of his tent and saw what he supposed to be the 
"congregation" assembled at one corner of the 
camp. He was not aware of the presence of two 
,; mascots" in the form of fighting pups, or of the 
tendency of these animals to meet on Sunday. 

" Orderly," he called to the young man outside 
his tent. "Yes, sir," replied the orderly, saluting. 



150 The Sixth Massachusetts 

" Is that the church service taking place over 
there?" "No, sir; that is a dog fight," replied 
the orderly, saluting again. The shock to the 
colonel was only apparent to those who saw him 
when he quietly turned and walked into Major 
Darling's tent, where he sat on a cot and laughed 




Natives Bathing at "Mud Hole." 



until the perspiration ran clown his sun-burned face 
in drops as large as coffee berries. 

One comfort we did have, and that was good 
bathing facilities. If we got baths unexpectedly 
and without our consent occasionally, it was made 
up for by the comfort of having a bath each day. 
Without exception each camp the regiment had in 
Porto Rico was near water where we were not only 
able to have a daily bath but to wash our clothing 



Utuado 153 

as well. Some idea of the heat of the sun may be 
gained from this. The men would wash their 
canvas suits, leggings, etc., and spread them on 
the rocks to dry while they took a plunge. At 
the end of fifteen or twenty minutes everything 
would be perfectly dry and warm. Thanks to the 
laundry facilities, the danger of clothing becoming 
inhabited was almost entirely averted, the excep- 
tional cases being nsnally due to the neglect of the 
individual. 

August 2"2. Colonel Rice left for Ponce with his 
orderly to obtain permission to move the men into 
barracks in town, as there seemed to be no immedi- 
ate prospect of our moving on to Arecibo. 

August 24. Company E was detailed for pro- 
vost duty in town. The same day a telegram 
arrived from Colonel Rice ordering the regiment to 
break camp and go into town, occupying in part 
the quarters vacated by the four companies of the 
19th infantry, who with General Henry and staff 
had left for Ponce. 

Coffee warehouses and one school-house were 
called into requisition, which gave the men dry 
quarters and good cooking houses, even if they 
were crowded and the buildings were infested 
with the ubiquitous flea. While supplies were still 
limited in quantity and variety, as they had to be 
brought by pack-mules over the mountain trail 



154 The Sixth Massachusetts 

from Ponce, there was a decided improvement in 
rations which was helped out by the local market, 
although the scarcity of money in the regiment 
made this of comparatively small benefit. 

Lieutenant Hart left on the 2 3d, called home by 
sickness in his family. 

Utuado, August 24, 1898. 

The greatest enemy the boys have had to deal with is 
mud, and in some of the roads it was anywhere from one 
to ten inches deep, with the sticking tendency greater 
than any found in old Virginia. 

Perhaps you have read about how we lost our colonel, 
lieutenant colonel, major, chaplain, and a few other 
officers of the regiment. There is not one of us that 
knows the true reason of their retirement, but there are 
lots of rumors in the air about it. Well, we have a 
regular army officer as our colonel now, and best of all, 
he is a Massachusetts man. Since he took charge of 
the regiment we have fared a good deal better than we 
have since we enlisted. In anything that pertains to 
our duty he is very strict, but when off duty we can 
enjoy ourselves to the best of our ability. 

There are so many sick on account of our last camp 
that we have been moved into barracks, an old unoccu- 
pied storehouse in nice condition, with plenty of air, 
whitewashed, and with hard cement floors which we 
call our bed. Night before last I hung up a hammock 
made by tying up the ends of my half of the tent. As 
true as I am here I could not sleep, being used to hard 
surfaces. Finally I gave it up and went on to the floor, 
where I slept as sound as a log. 

This morning, which is a good example of our daily 



Utuado 



^5 



routine, was spent as follows : Roll call 5.15, breakfast 
5.30 to 6.30, consisting of bean soup, one half cup to a 
man, with five hardtacks. The boys have offered a 
reward to the one finding a bean in his soup. This is 
followed by one drill in the morning that lasts about 
one hour. Dinner at 12 noon, which consists of one 
half cup of rice, a little sugar, and five tacks. One drill 
in the afternoon lasting one hour. Retreat, lowering" 




The Soldiers' Cemetery, Utuado. 

the colors, and roll call at 5.15. Supper at six consists 
of one piece of bacon, five tacks, and one cup of coffee. 
Five funerals of the natives have passed our barracks 
to-day, and an odd sight they were, too. They have no 
procession except when a wealthy person dies ; then 
there is a very small one. The only procession the 
common folks have is the pall bearers. The coffin, or 
rather box, is strapped with two long pieces of bamboo, 
and is carried on the shoulders of the pall bearers, and 
has no lid. "When they reach the cemetery they take 



156 The Sixth Massachusetts 

the corpse out of the coffin and place it in a small tomb, 
put a shovel of earth on it, and let it remain there until 
the worms eat the flesh from the bones ; then they take 
the bones out and pile them up in the corner and put 
another body in the hole. The wealthier class have a 
common black coffin like ours and are buried in it and 
never removed. I saw three corpses yesterday of vic- 
tims of starvation. They were children of about rive to 
ten years of age and their throats were very little bigger 
than my two fingers. It was a frightful sight. The 
cemetery here has a high thick wall around it, and the 
Spaniards have cut little portholes in it and use them 
as a sort of breastwork or fort. 1 

August 28. Dr. Washburn, Lieutenant Sweetser, 
and J. N. Taylor of the " Globe " went through 
to Arecibo under the protection of a pillow case, 
which was adapted for a white flag, and got permis- 
sion to transport hospital supplies through the city 
which had been sent from Ponce on the "Alamo." 
The commandante was most courteous in his re- 
ception of the detail and had a squad of his own 
men assist in starting the stores on the way to 
Utuado, including stores and clothing sent by Colo- 
nel Rice from Ponce. 

The ,6th Illinois with General Garretson and 
staff left at 8 a.m. for the States to be mustered 
out. A gloom w r as cast over the camp by the sad 
death of one of the 6th Illinois men in the hospital, 

1 Quoted from a letter of a member of Company B. 




Frkdkric A. Washburn. 

First Lieutenant and Assistant Surgeon. 



Utuado 159 

supposed to be due to melancholia at being left 
behind by his regiment. 

August 31. This was a red-letter day, as mail 
arrived from home, and the clothing for the men 
came as a result of one of the first orders given by 
Colonel Rice to have the entire regiment fitted out 
with new uniforms, shoes, and hats, as the men 
were fast reaching the condition of Gunga Din, 
when — 

" The uniform he wore, 
Was nothing much before 
An' rather less than 'arf o' that he'ind." 

They had become literally " hobos " in appearance 
and were so entirely uncomfortable when the new 
suits arrived that no one would venture out so 
"dressed up" until the regiment was ordered to 
appear for parade. 

Extract from a private's diary. 

Monday — Breakfast, tomato soup, hardtack, and 
coffee ; dinner and supper, the same. 

Tuesday — For each meal, two hardtack, tomato 
soup, small piece of bread. 

Wednesday — For breakfast and dinner, tomato 
soup, coffee, two hardtack, and bread ; for supper 
the following extras were served : two small pieces 
of corn bread, two inches square, with some sirup, 
one spoonful of scrambled eggs, half water, one 
handful of oyster crackers, tomato soup, and coffee. 



160 The Sixth Massachusetts 

Thursday and Friday — -Tomato soup, hardtack, 
and coffee again, with a little corn bread on 
Friday. 

Sept. 1. Private A. S. Cushman of Company A, 
who was in charge of the pioneer corps, received a 
commission as captain of subsistence and left at 
once for the States by way of Ponce. 

Sept. 2. The quartermaster issued the much 
needed clothing to the men. 

No history of the regiment in Porto Rico would 
be complete were the name of Mrs. Rice, the wife 
of the colonel, omitted. On the 2d of September, 
Colonel Rice arrived from Ponce, accompanied by 
Mrs. Riee, having crossed the trail so recently 
considered impassable in General Miles's carriage, 
Mrs. Rice being the first English woman, so far as 
known, to have been in that part of the island. 

The day after her arrival she visited the hospital, 
and from that time until her departure, her entire 
strength and energies were given to our sick men. 
All the attentions possible in the power of one 
woman, of personal exertion and suggestion com- 
bined, were given to the hospitals. She remained 
in Utuado until the regiment left tor Arecibo, 
where she went together with Miss Gait and Miss 
Parsons, being obliged to make the journey over 
the mountain trail in the saddle owing to the 
rivers being impassable. 



v\r: 



£.i>>y 




5Irs. Colonel Rick. 



I! 



Utuado 



163 



Her self-sacrificing devotion to the welfare of 
the men has endeared her name to every man who 
knew her in the hospitals, and has given to all a 
memory and respect of an American woman the 




Heavy Marching Order Inspection. 



signal 



for the 



mention of whose name is the 
doffing of the regimental hat. 

Occasional miscalculations were made in the judg- 
ment of officials, as when, one of the wagon wheels 
having broken down going over the mountain. Lien- 
tenant said he could duplicate it easily, as 

there was another wagon of the same make in camp. 
As the roads were in a terrible condition and there 
were no available teams by which to send the wheel 
out, the colonel told two of the prisoners proper 



164 The Sixth Massachusetts 

allowance would be made in their punishment, if 
they wished to roll the wheel out and substitute 
it for the broken one. They gladly undertook the 
mission, and they earned all they got in rebate, for 
the roads were deep with mud and it was up the 
mountains most of the way. After hours of weary 
climbing the prisoners arrived totally exhausted 
with the wheel, and found that, while the wheel 

was the same make, Lieutenant , like the 

tailor who cut oft' the wrong leg of the trousers 
for the one-legged man, had sent the front wheel 
instead of the hind one. 

Lieut. Thomas Talbot arrived from Ponce, having 
been to Cuba and returned to the United States in 
trying to reach the regiment. On arrival he was 
assigned to Company M, being later transferred to 
Company E. 

September 5. First Lieut. Clarence W. Coolidge 
of Company E was appointed adjutant, vice Lieut. 
F. E. Gray, while owing to the absence of Lieu- 
tenant Hart, Lieut. George W. Braxton of Com- 
pany L was appointed acting ordnance officer. 

Utuado, Sept, G, 1898. 
How about our own regiment? The spirits of the 
men have improved a little since they have gotten under 
cover, but this is not child's play here. Night after 
night there are men going to sleep hungry. United 
States soldiers going to sleep hungry ! It is a sad 
thought. Do the officials deny it? If they do, they 



Utuado 165 

misrepresent the facts. Quantity and quality of food 
are both plain. The officers often fail to realize what 
differences there are between the fare of the enlisted 
men and what they have. I have messed with both a 
great deal, and 1 have never yet found an officer's mess 
without a number of delicacies privates lack. If the 
men had a little spending money to get a pineapple or 
an orange or a piece of bread now and then, it would 
make eating less mechanical. 

" The troops have been paid promptly," says Wash- 
ington. Perhaps those at home have. But not a cent 
has been paid to a volunteer in Porto Rico. I have 
taken the pains to find the truth in this matter. If 
there has been a paymaster on this island he has not 
presented himself at headquarters yet. Is Porto Rico 
on the maps at Washington ? " There is too much 
criticism of the War Department," says the reader, 
perhaps. But when men give up business and home 
and everything else to do soldier's duty in August in 
the tropics, they ought to have hundreds of things our 
soldiers lack. Where are the thin clothes ? Where are 
the shoes ? Where are the sheets for the hospitals ? 
Where are the postmasters ? Where are the nurses ? 
Where are the indications that somebody realizes the 
dangers of this climate and the hardships of a soldier's 
life? 

I am afraid if the 6th Massachusetts should march up 
Beacon Hill to-day those who looked at the faces of 
these men would be shocked. The tan does not obscure 
the traces of rough usage. The look of patience does 
not obliterate the marks of hardship. 

" It will be different when we get to Arecibo," runs 
the general current of camp talk. 

Frederick Roy Martin. 



1 66 The Sixth Massachusetts 

Twice a day the companies were drilled, and a 
range of two hundred yards having been estab- 
lished, squads were taken out regularly to practise 
with the new rifle. The days after drill were 
spent almost entirely in quarters. Even the men 
who were considered well had lost all superfluous 
energy and strength, and were glad to be quiet 
when possible. Magazines and papers were once 
more arriving and were eagerly welcomed by the 
men. The stillness of the hot hours of the day 
was broken only by the little natives whirling 
carelessly the well-balanced boxes of candy on their 
heads, and singing their " Dulce Mericano " in 
a musical voice, which you soon learned as they 
grew older would take the sharp nasal twang of 
their parents. 

Early morning would find a number of men 
patrolling the market-place ready to seize a stray 
egg at " Cinco centavos, " as one or two material- 
ized from the mosaic of vegetal)! es done up in a 
native's handkerchief, or with a tin cup waiting 
for the cow to be driven in to buy their pint of 
milk. These were luxuries, however, which few 
could afford until after the paymaster arrived the 
third of October. 

The band, which had literally " played out " on 
the marches with the other men, immediately on 
its arrival at Utuado, when it was fortunate 



U tu ado 



167 



enough to be under cover in a sugar-house, began 
systematic practice, with the most gratifying 
results. The improvement was remarked by 
every one, and by the time the regiment had recu- 
perated sufficiently to have parade in town, the 




Utuado Market Scene. 

band played with a brilliancy we had not before 
heard. 

The bugle corps were called into service, and 
were truly a credit to themselves and the 
regiment. 

When the band gave an evening concert in the 
Plaza, the entire population would congregate 
there, and furnish such contrasts as can only be 
described by children dressed " only in a smile " 
promenading between the young society girls, who 



1 68 The Sixth Massachusetts 

in their bright colored and smart city gowns, under 
the glare of the up-to-date electric lights, were 
quite willing to be admired and to show their 
degree of civilization in their liking for uniforms. 

September 8. Last night a member of Company 
I had a nightmare and gave vent to the most 







Going to the Concert. 

frightful yell ever heard, so that the men sleep- 
ing near him were sure the " Black Hand " were 
murdering some one of them, when they yelled 
and started a stampede, which ended outside the 
building. 

Lieutenant La Croix arrived last night from 



Utuado 169 

Ponce with teams bringing the rifles, ammunition, 
and other supplies which had been left behind. 

September 10. Regimental inspection was held 
at 9 a. m. by Colonel Rice. 

September 11. Major Darling arrived with ten 
teams, bringing clothing and medical supplies from 
Ponce. 

The game of leap frog, which the men used to 
play evenings, or for exercise in the mornings, 
afforded the natives great amusement, and intro- 
duced a new sport to the boys. 

After nearly two months the 6th had been held 
in Utuado, while the Spanish occupied Arecibo, 
and although many interchanges of courtesies had 
taken place and the Spanish commandante had 
shown himself most accommodating in the matter 
of permitting the passage of hospital supplies and 
sick through his lines, it was not until well along 
in September that rations and other necessities had 
come in other than by the long, hard road to 
Ponce, often impassable by reason of heavy land- 
slides. 

September 15. Mail arrived at noon, and eve- 
ning parade was reviewed by Colonel Rice in front 
of the church. 

A telegram was received by the colonel from 
General Henry, commanding at Ponce : " Have five 
companies prepared to move to places to be vacated 



i 7 o 



The Sixth Massachusetts 



by Spanish troops in the northwestern part of Porto 
Rico. Places to which they will have to go and 
time they will have to reach them will be com- 
municated later." 

The " Bay State " arrived in Ponce on the 
14th, and on the 16th Dr. Crockett rode into 
camp on a cavalry horse loaned by General Henry. 
There was much speculation about the home trip 
of the sick, as one hundred was the limit of the 
ship's capacity, but twice that number were unfit 
for duty and anxious to go. Dr. Burrell, after 
learning of the condition of the roads, decided to 
sail around to Arecibo, in which port the "•Bay 
State" anchored late on the afternoon of the 19th. 
At seven the next morning eighteen wagons loaded 
with sick were started for Arecibo, with Dr. Crockett 
in charge, arriving without incident, and on the 
morning of the 22d the ship sailed for Boston. 

September IS. The improved condition of the 
regiment was noticeable in its entire life to its own 
members, and that it was so to others is testified 
by the following words from a member of the staff 
of General Brooke : — 

k ' The neatness of the men on duty, evidence of mili- 
tary system, good behavior of the men on the street, and 
tone of the command is like that of a regiment of 
regulars, and there exists an esprit among the officers 
and men and a devotion to the colonel which I have 
not seen in other volunteer commands." 



Utuaclo 171 

On the 18th Lieutenant Colonel Ames was 
placed in charge of civil affairs, and Company C 
of the 6th was sent to Lares to relieve the Spanish 
garrison and guard plantations thereabouts. Details 
of from two to ten men were guarding property 
for thirty miles around. 

September 19. One company of the 1st Ken- 
tucky (mounted) had been added to the Utuado 
garrison, ninety-two sturdy-looking soldiers from 
the blue-grass State having ridden in to report for 
duty to Colonel Rice. Reports of depreciations by 
the " Black Hand," an organization of desperadoes 
and robbers, were coining with telegraphic rapidity. 
The jail in Utuado was full of offenders, but that 
kind of punishment had no terrors for them. 

September 22. Considering the opportunities 
offered by a misunderstanding of our language, 
casualties were rare. One native failing to answer 
the third or fourth challenge given by the guard on 
the plantation of Antonio Marques was shot and 
killed by a member of the 6th. No possible blame 
can be attached to the soldier, as he did strictly 
and only his duty. 

Company K on the 28th relieved Company E 
of provost duty, who had since the leaving of the 
regulars had that work. On the same day Com- 
pany I started for Coamo, followed on the 6th of 
October by Company E for Hatillo. 



172 The Sixth Massachusetts 

As each company left town they were escorted 
by the band out over the bridge by the old camp 
and given a " God speed " by the colonel. 

On the 30th of September the members of Com- 
pany I were very greatly surprised to see the Eev. 
Mr. McDonald of Concord walking down the 
streets of Utuado. He had come in behalf of the 
families of the men in the company, and particu- 
larly for the purpose of taking home the bodies of 
those who had died there. 

Only those personally familiar with the country, 
and the difficulty of travelling, can know what it 
meant to undertake the office of kindness which 
Mr. McDonald accomplished. His visit to the 
regiment cheered up all the men, and his sermon 
on Sunday, October 2, on the importance of the 
service of those who "only stand and wait" was 
at a time when men were forgetting the life of the 
soldier is spent principally in service of waiting, 
but always ready. 

The following interesting letter was written by 
Mr. McDonald shortly after his arrival at Utuado. 

"The journey from Ponce to this place is extremely 
interesting. I started Wednesday morning with five 
doctors in a mule wagon. The first ten miles the road 
was fair. Then it became so bad that the wagon got 
stalled in the middle of a river ford. From there I 
walked ten miles with one of the doctors to a town 
called Adjuntas, where I stayed over night. The next 



Utuado 173 

morning I succeeded in finding a mule and afterward a 
saddle. The animal at first seriously objected to my 
weight on his back, but after a struggle, in which 1 
finally brought up in an orange grove, the mule dis- 
covered what a masterly hand held the bridle, and 
started on the way without further protest. I was on 
his back for about four hours, which brought me to 
Utuado. 

" The whole journey from Ponce to Utuado is through 
the must magnificent scenery. At times the road or 
path was on the edge of a precipice nearly two thousand 
feet deep, and sometimes if the mule had made a mis- 
step, I should not be here to write this letter. Moun- 
tain heights and deep ravines are filled with a luxuriant 
foliage, with orange, banana, coffee trees, and sugar cane. 
The natives picked me a bunch of oranges and bananas 
for a penny. The whole ride was immensely enjoyable. 

" One of the first men to meet me in Utuado was 
Sergt. George King, and a more astonished and delighted 
boy you never saw. That night we had a reception in his 
quarters, and the talk was long and interesting. Among 
the boys I found Sergt. James Tolman very ill. He is 
now much better, and the doctor says that he considers 
him entirely out of danger. The boys now in the hos- 
pital whom you know are Bugler Philip Emmott and 
Robert Richardson. Bert Dakin is around, but looking 
miserable. Out of a thousand men the regiment has 
about three hundred and seventy sick, and very few of 
those who are not sick are really strong and well. It is 
the sickest place that I was ever in, and the whole busi- 
ness of this encampment seems to be to take care of the 
ailing. The boys have lost all the spare flesh they had, 
and we have some cases of living 1 skeletons. I so 
through the three hospitals every day, saying a cheering 



174 The Sixth Massachusetts 

word to every man, and it does me good to see their 
faces brighten up at the mention of home and the pros- 
pect of soon getting there. 

"This afternoon I held a religious service in the 
square, and about live hundred of the well soldiers were 
present, and they seemed much helped by my words of 
comfort and cheer. The desire to go home is universal, 
and the intense longing on the part of some produces a 
sort of melancholia. I don't know why it is, whether it 
is the heat, or the unsatisfactory sanitary conditions of 




Sunday in Utuado. 



the place, or the miserable rations, but it certainly seems 
that if the men remain here two months longer there 
will not be a well man in the whole regiment. 

" It is announced that a part of the regiment at least 
will be removed to Arecibo, on the coast, with much 
more healthful conditions. I have taken two or three 
detachments of our men to the hotel and given them one 
good square meal, the best that the town could furnish. 



Utuado 175 

It was the first that some of them had had since starting 
from home, and was immensely appreciated. I was 
disappointed to find that some of our men, with Captain 
Cook, had been sent to a distant place the day before 
my arrival. I start on a journey of about thirty miles 
to-morrow to see them, expecting to return to Utuado 
again in a few days. I go on a horse furnished by 
Colonel Rice, who has been very kind to me since my 
arrival." 

October 1. Regimental line inspection was held 
at 7.45 A. m. in heavy marching order, with shelter 
tents, rolls, haversacks, and canteens. In the after- 
noon the wagon train left in charge of Lieutenant 
Conrad for Arecibo for supplies. 

October 3. Two ambulances and four teams left 
Utuado at 6 A. m. in charge of Surgeon Washburn 
with forty sick men for Arecibo, who were to re- 
turn home on the hospital ship u Relief." 

There had been numerous rumors of the coming 
of the paymaster, until the men had grown scepti- 
cal on the subject. "When in the evening an am- 
bulance drove into town with the paymaster in 
person, a welcome was accorded him which few 
officials received. Two hours later the detail which 
had gone to Arecibo on the 2d in charge of Sergeant 
Draper arrived with the paymaster's boxes. 

October 4. A hospital train carrying twenty- 
nine men for the " Relief " left Utuado at 7 a. m. 
The excitement attendant on the arrival of the 



176 The Sixth Massachusetts 

paymaster the night before pervaded the regiment 
during the morning. At 12.30 Major Doyon began 
paying the men, finishing that evening. As the 
companies lined up with a number in the ranks 
that had not been seen there for many days, there 
was much friendly chaffing as to the increase 
among the different companies, over the " lame 
and the halt," who with difficulty stood in line 




A Native Pack Train. 



until, as they say in the navy, the circle had been 
made the second time, and the men had the first 
money they had received in three months. If 
some of them forgot they were " sick in quarters " 
they are not to be blamed. 

Before the line was half passed men were hurry- 
ing to the different stores in the town to get change 
in Porto Rican money. A harvest such as the 



Utuado 177 

town had never before seen was garnered by the 
shopkeepers, many of whom to their lasting shame 
raised prices until they had to be threatened with 
having their shops closed. 

The hotels and restaurants, such as they are, were 
taken by storm, until it was not possible to get a 
place for any price. Many men got the first 
" square meal " they had had since leaving Camp 
Alger in July. The colonel showed his confidence 
in the men by having taps an hour later in honor 
of the event, a privilege which was continued until 
the regiment left the town. That the men appre- 
ciated this was shown by the temperate use they 
made of their freedom and money, there being few 
cases of drunkenness or disorder in the town. After 
the needs of clothing, etc., were supplied, the men 
began buying souvenirs, etc. 

An event which would have been of great inter- 
est to the regiment any time but "pay day" was 
the raising of the American flag in Utuado, when 
Major Darling responded to the alcalde's address. 
As it was, there were more than thirteen stars 
visible that night, and the happiest crowd of men 
since leaving Camp Alger. 

Rev. George D. Rice was commissioned chaplain 

of the 6th Massachusetts, filling the vacancy made 

by the resignation of Rev. Mr. Dusseault at Ponce. 

The return of the regiment shortly after this pre- 

12 



178 The Sixth Massachusetts 

vented the new chaplain from joining it until its 
return to Massachusetts. 

Chaplain Rice was born in Maiden in 1861, edu- 
cated at the Mt. Vernon Military Academy, Chicago, 
and at Tufts College Divinity School. 

On the breaking out of the war he was a member 
of Battery K, 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery. 

October 5. Inspection of quarters and the per- 
sonal appearance of the men was held at 5 P. m., 
and in the evening two pack trains arrived from 
Arecibo. 

October 6. Company E, commanded by Lieu- 
tenant Moore, left for Isabella at 7. 30 a. m., the 
band escorting them out of the town, where they 
were reviewed by Colonel and Mrs. Rice at the 
bridge. 

Before they had proceeded far a messenger over- 
took them to tell of the arrival of the telegram 
to Colonel Rice : " (3th Massachusetts Regiment to 
be ordered to United States. Regiment to remain 
until relieved." 

This was the culmination of the efforts made 
when matters were at their worst for the regiment 
to be relieved and returned home. 

The possibility of being able to report abuses 
and of their being righted in time was the only 
consolation for the men. Earlier letters detailing 
the story of the life of unnecessary hardships in 
a land of plenty and a period of practical peace 




Chaplain George D. Kick. 



Utuado i 8 i 

had been sent broadcast by the men to their 
homes ; the results of which were mass meetings 
held in different towns and appeals to the gov- 
ernor for the return of the regiment that stimu- 
lated him to write the following kindly letter to 
President McKinley : — 

Boston, Sept. 5, 1898. 

To the President, Washington, D. C. 

The pitiable condition in which the 2d and 9th Mas- 
sachusetts regiments have returned from their arduous 
and gallant service in Cuba has naturally caused a pro- 
found sense of solicitude regarding the 6th regiment, 
now in Porto Rico. My own feelings are deeply con- 
cerned, and I am besought by personal letters and by 
the authorities of cities to ask for the prompt return and 
muster out of this regiment. I have felt it my duty 
to decline to comply with this request so long as the 
national government requires their services. 

The splendid patriotism which prompted their volun- 
tary enlistment will sustain them in any perils or hard- 
ships they may be called on to endure. But the lives 
of her sons are precious in the eyes of the common- 
wealth, as I am well assured they are to yon, to whom 
the fortunes of our arms have been competently 
intrusted, and I have the honor urgently to request 
that whether in camp, in garrison, or on transports, 
these lives may be tenderly guarded by every precaution 
in clothing, food, and medical attendance which science 
may suggest. 

To this end no effort can be too great and no expend- 
iture too lavish. The commonwealth, through its con- 
stituted authorities, and through the contributions of its 
patriotic citizens, ably administered by the Voluntary 



182 The Sixth Massachusetts 

Aid Association, will consider it a privilege to be per- 
mitted, with money or supplies, to aid the efforts which 
the national government is making to render its service 
less perilous to the lives and health of its gallant 
soldiers. Rogee Wolcott. 

By the time the machinery which granted this 
request was set in motion, the evils had been 




Starting for Outpost Duty. 

largely overcome and the health and spirits of the 
regiment were on the mend. The majority of 
the officers and many of the men preferred spend- 
ing the winter in Porto Rico, and enjoying the 
life that had come to be pleasant after so long 
a period of preparatory work. The morning 
of October 6, during guard mount, Colonel Rice 
received telegraphic orders to move to Arecibo. 
His appreciation of the men's feeling was shown 
bv his relieving; the band from guard mount and 




Govervor Wnr.coTT. 



Utuado 



185 



sending them as a herald through the streets with 
the welcome news. An impromptu procession was 
formed behind the band, and the demonstration 
which took place left no room for doubts as to the 
opinion of the regiment on the subject. 

October 9. Company B, commanded by Lieut. 




' ^ 



Native Water Carrier. 



F. G. Taylor, left Utuado at 9.30 a. m. for Hatillo, 
going by way of Arecibo. 

The prospect of going home gave life a new 
interest, and the " Bay State walk " was replaced 
by an elastic step that no other tonic could have 
effected in the same space of time. 

October 10. The order was given for Companies 
I, H, K, and L to leave Utuado for Arecibo with 
Major Darling in command. 



86 The Sixth Massachusetts 



CHAPTER VIII 

THE HOSPITALS 

" What ha' you done with half your mess, Johnnie, Johnnie? 

They could n't do more, and they would n't do less, 

Johnnie, my Johnnie aha ! 

They ate their Avhaek and they drank their fill, 

And I think the rations has made them ill." 

THE popular idea of an army hospital is one 
where rows of cots are filled by wounded 
heroes, minus arms, legs, etc., attended by an attrac- 
tive trained nurse, immaculate in starched aprons 
and cuffs, with the badge of her office in the form 
of a red cross on her left arm. This idea, fostered 
by the newspaper, with a colored illustration show- 
ing a nurse at the bedside of an invalid propped up 
on big pillows, and with just a suggestion of 
romance thrown in, comes about as near the actual- 
ity of the early experiences of the 6th as the pretty 
milkmaid who appears in opera does to the real 
country maiden who fulfils that office on the 
farm. If mothers, whose chief care in the assistance 
of trained nurses at home consists in keeping 
folded screens properly placed to keep off drafts 




Major Geokge F. Dow 

Surgeon. 



The Hospitals 189 

and the shades drawn to a proper degree, could 
have seen their sons lying on the wet ground on 
only a blanket, or in a hospital wagon closed at 
one end during storms by a sheet, they would not 
have slept well. 

Until the regiment went into quarters in Utuado 
we had the division hospital system. After that 
date, as our regiment was for the greater part of 
the time alone, the surgeons of the 6th had charge 
of their own men. 

The first hospital opened in town, later known 
as No. 1, was in charge of Major Dow, Surgeons 
Washburn and Gross remaining with the regiment. 

Previous to this time tents, later supplemented 
by the ambulances, had been used for hospital 
service, and as it was during the rainy season 
when we were located in the "mud hole" the 
transfer to the buildings of even warehouses was 
most acceptable. The simplicity of all houses on 
the island makes the difference between a house 
and a warehouse infinitely less than it would 
mean in this country. 

Hospital No. 1 was a large coffee-house near 
the entrance to the village of Utuado as one 
arrives from Adjuntas or Arecibo. It was a long, 
narrow, one-story shed, raised on posts about six 
feet from the ground, sufficiently wide for two rows 
of cots, leaving a passage about four to five feet wide 



190 The Sixth Massachusetts 

up and down the centre. This building was care- 
fully cleaned, the walls were whitewashed, and 
put into a thoroughly good condition, accommodat- 
ing about forty patients, leaving a comfortable 
interval between the cots. The patients nearly 
all had typhoid fever, and most of them at one time 
or another were very ill. An ell ran off from this 
coffee-shed in which were accommodated about ten 
more patients. In the yard of the coffee-house 
were pitched two hospital tents, containing each 
four cots for convalescent patients. Still back of 
this were pitched four common wall tents which 
were used by some of the hospital corps men 
and the cooks. On the same line with these tents 
were pitched two large flies for cook tents, one 
for cooking for the hospital corps men, and one for 
the patients. Still back of this another tent was 
pitched in which were kept supplies for the hos- 
pital, and yet further back was a long open shed 
in which slept the hospital corps men. Here they 
swung their hammocks, and had on the whole a 
very comfortable place in which to live. The sinks 
were well off to one side and back of the hospital, 
and were covered with earth three times a day, and 
large quantities of lime were used. 

Hospital No. 2 was at the other end of the 
town, where were two coffee-houses with two yards 
between them used for the spreading of trays on 



The Hospitals 191 

which the coffee was dried. These coffee-houses 
were thoroughly cleaned and used in the same 
manner as described in Hospital No. 1. Hospital 
tents were pitched in the yards, and sinks were 
well in the rear. Hospital No. 2 was capable of 
holding from sixty to sixty-five patients. 

Hospital No. 3 was a small house near the river, 
and accommodated from fifteen to twenty patients. 

The first receipt of the much-needed delicacies 
and hospital supplies was from Arecibo, where Dr. 
Washburn went under the Red Cross flag, and from 
which place he was allowed to send medicinal sup- 
plies back to camp. 

On first going into the hospitals there were 
almost no cots, and no bedding of any kind beyond 
the men's own blankets and ponchos. As fast as 
they could be made by the native carpenters, 
the native cots were manufactured and put into 
service. These consisted of canvas stretched on 
parallel bars, and were luxurious after a season on 
the ground and the floor. 

There were a few cots in the town, but it was 
hard to find them. When one morning, therefore, 

Major saw two men passing the hospital 

carrying a closed cot on their shoulders, he sur- 
prised them by rushing out and asking, "Quanto 
vale? — Quanto vale?" The natives looked sur- 
prised, and in their perplexity lowered the cot, 



192 The Sixth Massachusetts 

when the doctor saw the corpse of a child in the 
folds of the canvas covering, which they were 
taking; to the cemeterv. 

The absence of battles eliminated the care of 
wounded, but the rapidity with which the hospitals 
filled up gave the surgeons an equal amount of 
care. Fortune favored the regiment in not giving 
the combination. 

Typhoid fever was the principal sickness, which 
at one time threatened to sweep the regiment, over 
half of it being " unfit for duty " at one time. 

The danger of typhoid from the drinking water 
was always emphasized, and every pressure was 
brought to bear to have this boiled. During- the 
marches it was impossible, and after going into 
quarters difficult. Under the direction of the 
medical staff a central boiling station was estab- 
lished, where boiled water was kept constantly on 
hand and supplied systematically to every com- 
pany in the regiment. As a result of this, in a 
very short time there was a marked improvement 
in the health of the men. 

The impression prevalent in this country that 
there was no typhoid in Porto Rico previous to the 
arrival of our troops is not accepted by our 
surgeons, who say there was plenty of it there on 
our arrival, and much more before the natives 
had time to contract it from the soldiers. Malaria 



The Hospitals 193 

also prevailed, but it was fortunately of a very 
mild type and yielded readily to treatment. 

The need for nurses was imperative, as the large 
number of patients, most of whom were seriously 
ill at one time or another, requiring close attention, 
rendered the number of regular nurses entirely 
inadequate. Volunteers were called for, and men 
from the different companies volunteered with a 
cheerfulness that should be to their lasting credit, 
performing the arduous and continuous duties 
without complaint. 

Kindness from a woman excites no comment. 
But when you see big strong men, clumsy though 
they be in their efforts, administering every pos- 
sible attention to their sick comrades, it touches 
a chord that vibrates to no other experience. 

The arrival of Mrs. Rice and later of Miss Gait 
and Miss Parsons brought into the hospitals the 
atmosphere and touch of comforts which usually 
are found in the wake of a woman in a sick- 
room. 

Food for the hospitals was procured by sending 
men into the country for eggs and milk, while 
good bread was found in the local markets. 

On September 23d the supplies sent by the 
Massachusetts Volunteer Aid Society on the " Bay 
State," consisting of cots, bedding, pajamas, linen, 
toilet articles, surgical appliances, drugs, rubber 

13 



194 The Sixth Massachusetts 

sheets, and fruit supplies were received. After 
this date the hospitals had everything wanted, and 
were able to distribute to the various companies 
a large stock of Red Cross supplies which were 
unsuitable for use in the hospitals. 

For the men who were sick in quarters, that is, 
not ill enough to necessitate sending them to the 




Hospital Laundry. 

over-crowded hospital, a special diet was arranged 
at the hospital kitchens where the men went at 
stated hours. 

The question of a laundry was a difficult 
problem to solve. At first the linen was sterilized 
as much as possible by wetting it down with 
solutions of antiseptics before being given to the 
native women for washing;. Later two large iron 
kettles were set up in the rear of Hospital No. 




Miss Muriel G. Galt. 



The Hospitals 197 

3, where water was kept boiling constantly. 
Large coffee-sacks were distributed to each hos- 
pital, and as fast as the linen became soiled it was 
put directly into these and the sacks firmly tied. 
It was then taken to the kettles and boiled 
thoroughly before being removed, after which it 
was given to the Porto Rican women to wash. 

The arrival of Miss Gait and Miss Parsons, who 
came clown from the " Bay State " on her second 
trip, volunteering their services in the hospitals, 
was the greatest aid to the surgeons, Miss Parsons 
taking charge of Hospital No. 1, Miss Gait of 
No. 2, and between them looking after No. 3. 
Whatever feeling there may have been in the 
minds of a few of the men regarding the fitness of 
women nurses for an army hospital, was soon 
removed under the improved condition of affairs 
and the personal magnetism of the nurses. 

One young man who was ill many weeks in the 
hospital writes : " Be sure and give the lady nurses, 
who were so kind to us who had to experience 
hospital life, all the credit due them. Most men 
are inclined to overlook the sacrifices made by 
these women when they are telling their own 
stories." 

Typhoid being the principal disease, every 
possible precaution to prevent its spread was 
taken. Each nurse was given particular directions 



198 The Sixth Massachusetts 

as to care of himself as well as his patient, and no 
convalescent from typhoid was allowed to return 
to his company for fear of possible infection. 

The policy of the physicians was to send home 
only the men who were convalescent from 
typhoid, or those who were sick in quarters, being 
weak from exhaustion and unfit for service, and 




Dr. Crockett. 



who did not seem to be able to recuperate in that 
climate. The attitude assumed by the surgeons 
on this point is doubtless the reason the death rate 
among such a large number of typhoid patients 
was kept so small. 

When able to be moved, they were transferred 
to Arecibo, where they were put aboard the hospi- 
tal ships for home, the first detachment being sent 



The Hospitals 190, 

on October the 3d and 4th by the "Relief," the 
rest of the men coming on the " Bay State." 

On September 18th. Dr. Crockett arrived from 
Ponce, having made the trip in the saddle to sec if 
it was feasible to transfer our sick men over that 
route to the "Bay State." As permission was 
gotten to send the sick men through by the way of 
Arecibo, the "Bay State" was sent to that point, 
where, on the 20th, seventy-eight of our men were 
sent in wagons under the care of Dr. Crockett. 
Some were so ill they were obliged to be trans- 
ported in hammocks suspended in the wagons, but 
the journey was made without mishap. 

The transfer to Arecibo was made in ambu- 
lances and army wagons drawn by four mules, 
over a road leading over mountains, around 
dangerous precipices where two wagons could not 
possibly pass, down slopes where the wagons 
jumped from one shelving rock to another, over 
roads that were cut into chuck holes where the 
wagon would plunge up to the bed in mud and 
water. The river, which had to be forded six 
times, was at this season very high from the heavy 
rains, and each trip that was made had to be pre- 
arranged and the chances taken of the river being 
reached after five hours' driving and found too 
deep to cross. As it was in many cases, the men 
had to stand up to keep out of the water, which 



200 The Sixth Massachusetts 

would come up into the beds of the wagons, 
soaking everything that was left there. 

On reaching Arecibo, there being no harbor 
there, it was necessary to transfer the sick into 
lighters, in which they were taken out to the 
hospital ship, which it was necessary to anchor far 
out from the shore. The excitement attendant on 







'■*■**■ " * '" -* J- 




' $& *■■• , -J^^i 


Hospital 


Train for Arecibo. 



the departure of the sick for the hospital ships per- 
meated the entire regiment. Nothing was harder 
for the sick in the hospital than to see others start 
home, while for the well men it was a temptation 
to want to be "just sick enough" to be candidates 
for the trip. 

This work of transfer was done by army mules. 
Those who remember the struggle of the poor 



The Hospitals 



201 



beasts as they plunged into the swift currents and 
struggled out over the muddy banks, who saw 
them day after day doing the work that horses 
could not possibly have clone, and living on worse 
than army rations, will not underestimate the 
value of those animals in the Porto Rican campaign. 
or see inconsistency in remembering them kindly. 




Convalescents on the Way to the "Bay State.'* 



A learned writer on the Holy Scriptures says : 
"It is acknowledged that neither the Apostles nor 
Fathers have absolutelv condemned swearing, or 
the use of oaths, upon every occasion, and upon all 
subjects. There are circumstances wherein we 
cannot morally be excused from it ; but we never 
ought to swear but upon urgent necessity, and to 
do some considerable good by it." 



202 The Sixth Massachusetts 

This may in a small degree apply to certain 
remarks made by our mule drivers before they 
learned to " speak Spanish " to the mules on the 
trips to Arecibo over the mountains. 

The life of the surgeons in the midst of this 
amount of sickness, where disease had to be fought 
in the tropics with insufficient supplies and appli- 
ances, can only be imagined. 

The day began with sick call at 7.30 a.m., when 
the sick men would line up by companies at the 
dispensary, being seen in turn by the surgeon and 
prescribed for, one being sent to the hospital, 
another returned to quarters, until the entire num- 
ber had been seen, ranging from fifty to two hun- 
dred men who would have been in line. 

From the dispensary, the surgeon would go to 
the hospitals, where he would join the others in 
the care of the patients there. 

Under this strain Major Dow broke down and 
returned home on the " Bay State " from Arecibo 
on her second trip, presumably a sick man. When 
the boat returned the surprise of the regiment was 
only equalled by its delight at the return of Major 
Dow, who again took up his work until the return 
of the regiment. 

The very small percentage of deaths out of the 
large number of cases of typhoid bears witness in 
a stronger way than anything that can be written 
of the care given our sick. 




Stephen E. Ryder. Edwin D. Towle. 

Harkie C. Hunter. 

Hospital Stewards. 



The Hospitals 205 

Many severe criticisms have been made during 
the war of the treatment of certain regiments at 
the hands of their surgeons. The Gth has nothing: 
but praise and an acknowledgment of their appre- 
ciation for the surgeons, who were untiring in their 
discharge of dutv. 



2o6 The Sixth Massachusetts 



CHAPTER IX 



THE "BAY STATE 



ON the third day of May, 1898, at the request 
of Governor Wolcott, a number of gentle- 
men whom he had asked as public-spirited citizens 
met in the council chamber to consider the advisa- 
bility of the formation of a sanitary commission. 
As a result of this meeting, the Massachusetts 
Volunteer Aid Association was formed to render 
aid to the volunteers who enlisted in the service of 
the United States, with the following officers : — 

Eben S. Draper, Chairman: Major II. L. Higginson, Treas- 
urer: Elihu B. Hayes, Secretary. 

Executive Committee. 

Henry L. Higginson. Arnold A. Rand. 

George von L. Meyer. Charles J. Paine. 

Eben S. Draper. Robert M. Burnett. 

Patrick A. Collins. T. Jefferson Coolidge, Jr. 

Elihu B. Hayes. Sherman Hoar. 
James Phillips, Jr. 

At this meeting the suggestion was made by Dr. 
Herbert L. Burrell that a hospital ship would be 



I 



The " Bay State" 207 

of special use, and that a popular subscription 
should be started to buy and equip, under the 
Geneva conference, Article XIII, which is an inter- 
national agreement, providing for the recognition 
of aid association ships, a volunteer Aid Association 
Ship. Our government hospital ships numbered but 
two ; the " Relief " for the army and the " Solace " 
for the navy. The rapidity with which men broke 
down under tropical fevers rendered a greater trans- 
porting facility almost a necessity. The decision 
having been reached to purchase a ship, a public 
subscription was called for, to which the people of 
the State responded with a readiness and generosity 
that will be to the lasting glory of Massachusetts. 
The "widow's mite" and the five thousand dollar 
checks came together, $230,000 being promptly 
subscribed, and this amount could have been in- 
creased indefinitely. The question arising as to 
the function of the ship, whether it were to be 
primarily a supply one, not only for our troops 
but for combatants as well, or whether she were 
to be primarily a hospital ship, was settled by the 
consideration of Honorable Sherman Hoar, who 
came forward and solved the question by demon- 
strating to our government at Washington the ne- 
cessity and the advisability of putting such a ship 
into commission. 

During the month of May, R. M. Burnett, Esq., 



208 The Sixth Massachusetts 

and Dr. C. A. Siegfried, after looking over various 
vessels which were offered, finally bought the " Bow- 
den," one of the Boston Fruit Company's steamers, 
which arrived in Boston, June G. She was sent 
to the Atlantic works of East Boston, where under 
the personal supervision of their consulting engi- 
neer, James T. Boyd, she was transformed and 
renamed the " Bay State," being the first aid asso- 
ciation ship that had ever been fitted out under 
the Geneva conference, Article XIII. 

This was done under the direction of the board 
of control, composed of Major Henry L. Higginson, 
Robert M. Burnett, Esq., and Dr. Herbert L. 
Burrell, with Dr. E. H. Bradford acting in the 
absence of Dr. Burrell, with James T. Boyd as 
consulting; engineer. In seven weeks she was 
thoroughly renovated and ready for service. 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts by an Act 
of the legislature appropriated $50,000, which sum 
was paid for the hospital ship, and loaned her to 
the Massachusetts Volunteer Aid Association. 

On August 6 the " Bay State " lay in the harbor 
ready for service. She was 200 ft. long, 27 ft. 
beam, a depth of 12 ft. 7 in. with a gross ton- 
nage of 777, net 380 tons, painted white with a 
red strake. She had been well tested as to 
strength and endurance, having weathered with- 
out difficulty several cyclones in the West Indies 



The " Bay State" 209 

when used as a fruit steamer. The expense of 
altering her, in addition to the original cost, was 
$67,000, but when finished Boston had the pleasure 
of sending forth the most completely equipped hos- 
pital ship the world has seen. She contained every 
convenience and appliance which have become nec- 
essary equipments of a well-appointed hospital. 
Her wards were finished with walls of galvanized 
iron, with white enamel paint, rubber tread flooring, 
and cemented gutters. The berths for the patients 
are frames made of one and a half inch galvanized 
iron pipe, on which a wire mattress was strung. 
These frames rest on hooks fastened to uprights 
made of two-inch pipe. The berths are three tiers 
deep and can be lifted off the hooks, so when neces- 
sary the patient can be taken on or off the ship on 
his own bed, used as a stretcher. 

An operating room containing an X-ray machine, 
and one for surgical dressing was supplemented by 
a clinical laboratory and apothecary shop. The 
cold storage and freezing room, a steam laundry 
and ice plant capable of producing three and a 
half tons a day, electric fans, and a library of two 
hundred volumes, selected by Mr. H. F. Putnam, 
of the Boston Public Library, were principal fea- 
tures of the ship, all of which had been planned 
and arranged under the direct supervision of Dr. 
Burrell. Without restriction of any kind she was 



14 



210 The Sixth Massachusetts 

fitted out with every device and kind of supply 
considered necessary or desirable for the good of 
the well and the sick. During her three trips she 
gave away where needed many tons of supplies, 
sailors as well as soldiers being recipients of her 
bounty. She was commanded by Capt. Percival 
F. Butman, who retained the majority of the boat's 
old crew. 

Her medical staff was composed of the fol- 
lowing gentlemen, who volunteered their services: 
Surgeon Superintendent, Dr. Herbert L. Burrell ; 
first surgeon, Dr. E. A. Crockett ; second surgeon, 
Dr. J. T. Bottomley ; first assistant surgeon, Mr. T. 
J. Manahan ; second assistant surgeon, Mr. C. L. 
Spaulding; purser, Mr. "W. H. Seabury. Head 
Nurse, Miss C. W. Cayford. Nurses : Miss Janet 
Anderson, Miss Muriel G. Gait, Miss Anna M. 
Blair, Miss Sadie Parsons, Miss Sarah Frazer. 
Bay Men : S. Hooker, F. P. Droese, L. L. Kemp, 
W. F. Lyford, Peter Sylveson, N. E. Nichols. 

Her first trip was made to Cuba, where she left 
many needed supplies, bringing home ninety-eight 
men of the 9th Massachusetts and 2d U. S. V. The 
second trip was to Porto Rico, when she returned 
with one hundred men, eighty-nine of whom were 
6th Massachusetts volunteers. On this trip she 
left Dr. J. Booth Clarkson as representative from 
the Volunteer Aid Association, together with Miss 



The "Bay State" 211 

Gait and Miss Parsons, who volunteered to return 
to the hospital in Utuado. 

Her third and last trip was again to Arecibo and 
Ponce, when she brought home one hundred and 
thirty-six men. It is thus seen that the 6th Mas- 
sachusetts is particularly beholden to the " Bay 
State " and her supporters. The account of how 
men were received and cared for on board is best 
told in Mr. Seabury's paper read before the Bos- 
ton Society for Medical Improvement, which is 
published in full. The discipline on board was 
more strict than that of camj3, every possible pre- 
caution as to food, sleep, air, and exercise being 
given the men. 

The writer had the good fortune to have occasion 
to go on board the " Bay State " during her second 
trip, as she was lying off Arecibo. Immediately 
on boarding her the cup of hot malted milk was re- 
ceived, when for half an hour I sat in a steamer 
chair, persistently refusing to have a tag put about 
my neck. Having finally convinced the nurses 
that I was not a " candidate," and that I had 
been in the saddle for eleven hours, I was allowed 
a cup of tea and some bread and butter. This was 
the first tea or butter we had seen since leaving 
Boston. Nothing but the fear of being "tagged" 
by force as an unruly invalid limited my appe- 
tite. If the nurse who was that day kind to a 



2 12 



The Sixth Massachusetts 



dusty private ever sees this, will she accept his 
thanks ? 

As a medium between the citizens of Massachu- 
setts and the regiments, guaranteeing the men of 
the familiarity of those at home with their experi- 
ences and needs, the importance was also great. 
The arrival of the " Bay State " with her load of 
private boxes for the men, and news direct from 
home, was a comfort inestimable. It was the white 
messenger of the people sent to the front as a 
guarantee of support and sympathy. 

The men who were passengers aboard the " Bay 
State " are the most enthusiastic admirers of the 
surgeons and nurses, and cannot say too much of 
the care they received and the privileges enjoyed. 

The families of the few who started but did not 
arrive, have the consolation of knowing that every 
possible attention and aid was rendered by devoted 
friends in a spirit of sacrifice second only to that 
of the man's own family. 

This Commission Witnesseth : — That the Massachu- 
setts Volunteer Aid Association hereby is recognized by 
the Government of the United States of America as an 
Aid Society within the terms of Article XIII. of the 
Geneva (Red Cross) Convention, during the pending 
war between the United States of America and the 
Kingdom of Spain ; that said Association hereby is 
expressly authorized to fit out and equip at its own 
expense a Hospital Ship for all the purposes of such a 



The " Bay State" 213 

ship during said war, said ship to be named " The Bay 
State," — and that C. A. Siegfried, Medical Inspector 
of the United States Navy, hereby is authorized to have 
control of said hospital ship during her fitting out and 
on her final departure, and to issue his certificate as the 
proper naval authority under Article XIII. of the 
Geneva (Red Cross) Convention aforesaid, that she had 
been so placed under his control, and that she is then 
appropriated solely to the purposes of his mission. 

Given under my hand at Washington 
By the President. this '23d day of June, in the year 

of Our Lord one thousand, eight 
, John D.Long, hundred and ninety-eight, and in 

Secretary of the Navy. ,, 1nn , ,. ,, T -, -, 

J J J the 122(1 year ot the Independence 

of the United States. 

William McKinley. 



War Department. 
Washington. July 22, 1898. 

Sir : — The Hospital Ship " Bay State " has been 
fitted out by the Massachusetts Volunteer Aid Associa- 
tion, and has been commissioned by the United States 
Government under the International Red Cross Conven- 
tion. The purpose of the ship under the direction of 
its surgeon superintendent, Dr. H. L. Burrell, is to aid 
the medical authorities of the Army and Navy of the 
United States in caring for the sick and wounded 
soldiers and sailors. You are directed to aid and assist 
the authorities of the " Bay State " as far as practicable. 
Very respectfully, 
[Signed] R. A. Alger, 

Secretary of War. 
To the Officers commanding U. S. Troops. 



214 The Sixth Massachusetts 

Navy Department. 
Washington, July 22, 1898. 

Sir : — The Hospital Ship " Bay State " has been 
fitted out by the Massachusetts Volunteer Aid Associa- 
tion, and has been commissioned by the United States 
Government under the International Red Cross Con- 
vention. The purpose of the ship under the direction 
of its surgeon superintendent, Dr. H. L. Burrell, is to 
aid the medical authorities of the Army and Navy of the 
United States in caring for the sick and wounded sol- 
diers and sailors. You are directed to aid and assist the 
authorities of the " Bay State " as far as practicable. 
When they need coal and cannot otherwise obtain it, 
you are authorized to supply it, if it can be spared, tak- 
ing a receipt in duplicate for the amount, and cash or 
draft on Lee, Higginson & Company, of Boston, in 
payment. Yery respectfully, 

[Signed] John D. Long, 

Secretary. 
To Commanding Officers of United States Squadrons 
and Vessels. 

[Personal.] 
Washington, I). C. July 22, 1898. 
Dear Doctor : — Permit me to introduce Dr. H. L. 
Burrell, Surgeon Superintendent of the Massachusetts 
Aid Society Hospital Ship " Bay State." He goes in 
charge of the "Bay State" to care for any sick or 
wounded of the Army and Navy. 

I hope you will extend him all the facilities in your 
power toward the accomplishment of his good work. 
Yours very truly, 
[Signed] W. K. Van Reypen, 

Surgeon General U. S. Navy. 
C. M. Ghavatt, U. S. N., Fleet Surgeon, U. S. Flag-Ship "New 



The "Bay State" 215 

War Department. Surgeon General's Office. 
Washington, August 2, 1898. 

Gentlemen : — The Hospital Ship " Bay State," hav- 
ing been equipped and fitted out by the Massachusetts 
Aid Association, is in charge of the surgeon superin- 
tendent, Dr. Herbert L. Burrell, and I have requested 
him to render such supplementary aid and assistance to 
you as may be required. 

Very truly yours, 
[Signed] George M. Sternberg, 

Surgeon General, U. S. Army. 
To the Officers of the Medical Department, U. S. A. 



Me. President, and Members of the Boston So- 
ciety for Medical Improvement : — 

You have paid me a great compliment in inviting me 
to appear before you this evening, to give you some idea 
of what my duties were as volunteer purser of the 
Hospital Ship " Bay State." 

I did such a small amount of work on the ship in 
comparison to what others did, that I have found it 
rather difficult to make a paper containing anything of 
special interest. I said to Dr. Fitz that this would be 
an entirely new departure for me, but I felt that if I 
could say anything that would be of the slightest inter- 
est to you all, I ought not decline the polite invitation. 
He wishes me to tell you, 

What I had to do, 
What I had to do with, and 
How I did it, 
What Iliad to do. — Make myself generally useful to 
our surgeon superintendent, Dr. Burrell ; 



2 i 6 The Sixth Massachusetts 

Take charge of all the finances of the ship ; 

Purchase all the supplies (those relating to the Hos- 
pital Department excepted). 

Pay all bills, wages of crew, etc ; 

Receive requisitions for supplies of all kinds, from 
hospitals and troops, have them approved by the sur- 
geon superintendent, see that they were delivered and 
receipted for ; 

To keep a general idea of what food supplies we had 
on hand, and say whether we could spare them from our 
stores or not ; 

Receive the patients on shore in tents, or on the main 
deck of the ship ; 

Give each one a number, take their names, and tem- 
perature, also their valuables. All this was recorded by 
me in a book at the time. 

"When a requisition for supplies was received (and 
nothing was delivered without a written requisition ), 
it was delivered into three different lists, one for Medi- 
cal Supplies, one for Clothing, and one for the Food. 
These were handed to the heads of departments, and 
they saw that the articles were issued and turned over 
to me. I saw them delivered and receipted for. 

What I had to do with. — Everything in a Commis- 
sary's Department that I could think of or that others 
could suggest. I was not limited as to expenditure, 
nor hampered in the slightest degree. 

My instructions were, obtain what you think best, 
and have it all of the first quality. And what pleasure 
it was for me to labor under such instructions ! 

The food supplies were stored in six of the eleven 
large storerooms or lockers in the lower hold, the 
other rive being used for a part of the hospital supplies. 



The " Bay State'' 217 

On the deck over these storerooms, there was a large 
space enclosed with an iron grating, which I called the 
Grocery Shop. Our daily wants were supplied from 
this. 

Our supplies consisted of in part, that is for one trip, 

10,000 lbs. Fresh Beef, 500 lbs. Mutton, (300 lbs. 
Poultry, 2,000 Eggs, 500 lbs. Fresh Butter, Fresh Vege- 
tables, and Fruits in variety. All kinds of Canned 
Goods, Evaporated Cream. 

25 to 50 loaves of bread were baked each day. 

00 gals, of Ice Cream (this kept in perfect condition, 
and the last was distributed to the patients the day 
before our arrival home). 

Our Ice Machine made three tons a day. 

Temperature of Freezing Room about 28. 

Temperature of Cold Storage about 3-1. 

Liquors of all kinds, Mineral Waters, Ginger Ale, 
Pipes, Tobacco, and Cigarettes. 

The supply of Fresh Beef was reduced somewhat on 
the second and third trips. 

How I did it. — System of Receiving Patients. At 
Santiago we had three tents on shore (thanks to Maj. 
L. C. Carr, Volunteer Surgeon from Ohio, who was of 
the greatest assistance to us in providing the tents, and 
locating them for us). 

The patients came to us in ambulances from the Hos- 
pital near San Juan Hill. (Some of these ambulances 
were upset or broke down on the way. The road was 
almost impassable, and as there were two tiers of 
stretchers in each ambulance, the patients were terribly 
shaken up.) 

They were brought into my tent first, where Drs. 
Manahan or Bottomley questioned them or their officers 



218 The Sixth Massachusetts 

in regard to their previous condition. If a patient was 
very ill, he was given an odd number which signified a 
lower berth on the ship, that he might be more easily 
attended ; otherwise, he was given an even number, 
which called for an upper berth. 

These numbers were small nickel tags on a cord, 
which was passed over the patient's head, and hung 
about his neck. This number corresponded to his berth 
number on the ship. 

It was not customary in speaking of a patient to 
mention his name ; he was known b} r his number. His 
temperature was taken by Miss Gait. His valuables 
taken, put in an envelope marked with his number. He 
was then given a canvas bag, the number of which cor- 
responded to the number already given him. 

This bag contained a complete outfit, consisting of a 
brown duck suit, underclothes, slippers, and soft hat. 
He was then taken, with his bag, into either one of the 
other tents, where he was stripped, given a sponge bath 
of corrosive sublimate by a Bay Man (there were two 
in each tent), his new outfit put on, his uniform put 
back into his bag (which was sterilized later on the 
ship), and he was sent aboard the ship in the launch. 

It took us eight minutes on the average, from the time 
a patient entered my tent until he was off for the ship. 
This system of receiving the patients, so simple yet so 
perfect, the rapidity with which it was accomplished, 
astonished the army officers who witnessed it, and they 
complimented us highly. 

At Arecibo, this work was done on the ship, as the 
patients were received late in the day, and it was 
thought best to get them on board as soon as possible. 

At Ponce we took on nine patients only, and our 



The " Bay State" 219 

work was carried on in one of the rooms of the Custom 
House. 

When the ship reached Boston, the patients were 
returned their valuables and canvas bags, which they 
took with them when they left. 

And now, Mr. President, just a word or two about 
our surgeon superintendent. He has said so many 
kind things of those under him, that I cannot let this 
opportunity go by without expressing my opinion of our 
" General," as we called him. While giving due credit 
to all others connected with the ship for their noble 
work, I must say that it was to the wonderful executive 
ability of Dr. Herbert Burrell that the record made by 
the " Bay State " will serve as a standard for all relief 
expeditions of this kind. He went forth with the well 
denned purpose of doing all the good possible, as 
speedily and as directly as it could be accomplished. 

Zeal was supplemented with brains. 

W. H. Seabuky, 

Volunteer Purser, Hospital Ship " Bay State." 
Boston, Nov. 21, 1898. 

The following verses were read November 22, 
1898, in response to the toast of "The Ladies" 
on the occasion of the Tavern Club Dinner in 
honor of those who did service in connection with 
the hospital ship, "Bay State." 

You ask me to speak on behalf of the ladies 
AVho shone in our bout with the cohorts of Cadiz : 
You ask me to speak on behalf of the nurses, — 
And with your permission I '11 do it in verses. 



220 The Sixth Massachusetts 

" The Ladies, God bless them ! The toast never varies 
From Alaska's cold snows to the sunny Canaries. 
Man fills up his goblet and drains it while drinking, 
But the sentiment lies in the thought which he 's thinkim 



Those dear little dolls with their pretty grimaces, 
Their kittenish Avays and their delicate faces, 
Are precious to some because dainty and fearful, 
Adorably helpless, and readily tearful. 

The house-wives with tact, rather plump and good looking, 

Nice, amiable souls with a genius for cooking, 

Are popular still with the saint and the sinner, — 

When the chair cries " The Ladies! " man thinks of his dinner. 

The daughter of Spain with the night in her hair, 
With the sloe in her eye and an indolent air, 
Entrances her lover who taps at the pane : 
Delicious ! But where are the navies of Spain 1 

That new woman is fair no man needs to be told, 
She has night in her hair, she has tresses of gold. 
But what makes her precious for you and for me 
Is the soul which is in her, — the soul which is free ; 

Which, bursting the fetters of fashion and caste, 
Undeterred by tradition and deaf to the past, 
Seeks a post in the ranks, claims the right to a place 
Wherever her presence can succor the race ; 

Wherever there 's room for sweet patience and care, 
For love which complains not, and courage to bear 
The stress of life's battles — albeit to tread 
A hospital ship in the wake of the dead. 




Miss Sadie Parsons. 



The "Bay State" 223 

Humanity calls and undaunted she stands. 
There is sweat on her brow, there is blood on her hands. 
Ho ! dames with traditions, does this give you pain 1 
Take heed, and remember the navies of Spain. 



" The Ladies, God bless them ! " Long life to the toast ! 

A health to the nurses who served at their post 

In a hospital ship on a hurricane sea 

For the sake of our country, for you, and for me. 

[Signed] Egbert Grant. 



224 The Sixth Massachusetts 



CHAPTER X 

ARECIBO 

THE attitude of the Spaniards towards the 
American soldiers who were inside their 
lines on business at Arecibo during the protocol 
was courteous to an unexpected degree and showed 
a spirit that our men could not have surpassed. 
This at a time when peace was not a certainty, 
and when one or two individuals were at the 
mercy of hundreds of soldiers ; yet no offence, 
by word or jest, was on any occasion shown. 
Later, when the troops were together in the same 
city, a friendliness that grew into intimacy in a 
day began to rule. The exchange of souvenirs, 
including buttons, buckles, belts, and anything that 
was characteristic of the army, took place in the 
cafes over whatever the pockets of the men could 
afford. 

During the protocol four of our men went to San 
Juan with the paymaster's boxes, travelling in a car 
filled with Spanish soldiers, landing at San Juan at 
ten o'clock at night as entire strangers, the only 
American soldiers in the city. That this was clone 



Arecibo 



225 



not only without an unpleasant experience but on 
the other hand with courteous treatment from our 
fellow passengers in the train, who were urgent in 
their invitation to drink with them, is another con- 
firmation of the kindly spirit pervading the ranks. 




Spanish Soldiers entertaining American Soldiers. 



Later our soldiers became the guests of the Spanish 
soldiers, and on more than one occasion " messed " 
with them in their quarters. 

That this feeling was not the same for the 
natives was shown by the constant hostilities 
between them. 

The natives could not understand why the 
Spaniards were not only undisturbed but that their 
property and lives were protected by the American 



15 






226 The Sixth Massachusetts 

army which had so recently been their enemy. 
Such were the conditions when a feud, originating 
in a private quarrel between a Spanish soldier 
and a native of Arecibo over a woman, ended in 
the shootino; and killing in cold blood of five 
natives by this soldier and some comrades, who 
had secreted their guns at night, which they used 
with fatal effect against natives armed only with 
machetes. This happened October 9, afternoon, 
Sunday being, as in Spain, the principal holiday 
of the week, when the news spread like wild-fire 
throughout the town and country. Within two 
hours after the shooting, from every by-way and 
road came crowds by the hundreds, armed with the 
ever-present machete, flocking towards town, gestic- 
ulating and yelling, vowing death to the Spaniards 
and destruction to the city. What promised to be 
a terrible calamity of ravage and fire was averted 
only by the timely arrival of Company E, who, 
under the relaxation of rules relative to bringing 
supplies through the lines, were brought in on 
order of Lieutenant Talbot, stationed at that time 
in Arecibo, at the request of the British consul, 
to furnish a guard for the consulate. The co- 
mandante proclaimed martial law, closing every 
store and shop in Arecibo, and cleared the streets, 
but with an excitable population of thousands, 
hidden behind doors and blinds, all on the qui live 



Arecibo 227 

for the threatened danger and anticipated disaster. 
Only the arrival of Company E and the proximity 
of Companies H, F, K, and L, who arrived with 
Major Darling at the outposts the following day, 
prevented an outbreak as a climax to the condition 




Three of a Kind. 

of affairs that would have been a national tragedy. 
Company F immediately on arrival relieved the 
Spanish guard in Arecibo. 

Meantime the preparation for the evacuation of 
the Spanish troops was hurried, final arrangements 
being made for their departure on Tuesday, Octo- 
ber 11. During the intervening clays every squad 
of Spanish soldiers which passed through the 
streets did so with loaded guns or protected by 
an armed guard, in this way only avoiding violence 



228 The Sixth Massachusetts 

at the hands of the natives. The English consul 
did not venture from his house excepting under 
the protection of an American guard with guns 
loaded. 

The home of Mr. David Wilson, the English 
consul in Porto Rico, became headquarters for our 
troops in Arecibo. Mr. Wilson was not only 
untiring in his kind offices fur the Americans and 
an invaluable aid in his knowledge of the people 
and political situation on the island, but he dis- 
pensed a cordial hospitality from his home, which 
made the officers and privates alike regret leaving 
his town. 

Mr. Carrion, formerly the American consul at 
Porto Rico, was also zealous in his kind offices of 
hospitality, keeping open house to the extent of 
making his home literallv the home of Americans. 

October 10. Major Darling received orders to 
leave Utuado for Arecibo with Companies I, H, K, 
and L, from which place H was to go to Manati | 
and K to Barcelonita. The command arrived at | 
Dr. Watlington's estate, two miles from Arecibo, I 
at 4 p. m., where it spent the night, not occupying 
Arecibo until the following day. 

October 11. When the hour set for the evacua- 1 
tion of the Spaniards arrived, a guard of Ameri- \ 
can soldiers was posted, reaching from the station 
into the city, with instructions to see that no 



Arecibo 231 

Spaniard was molested on the way to the train. 
At three o'clock, the time agreed upon for the 
evacuation, the seven hundred Spanish soldiers 
marched from their barracks and lined up by 
companies on either side of the Cathedral, while 
our troops took a position facing the Cathedral 
in front of the City Hall. The formalities at- 
tendant upon the transfer of the city were in 
charge of Major Darling, who received from the 
authorities the necessary instructions and papers 
to enable him to assume immediately the func- 
tions of the departing comandante. The wife 
of this officer, with her face buried in her hand- 
kerchief, was driven quickly from the Plaza to 
the train past the English consulate, where a 
weeping good-by was said to the family of the 
consul. 

Immediately afterwards the troops moved 
quickly and quietly by companies to the train, 
followed by the comandante, who had asked, as 
a special favor, that the American flag might not 
be raised until his face was turned towards Spain. 
Every precaution had been taken to grant this 
request, when in the middle of the ceremonies 
a shout arose, as a small flag fluttered up from 
a neighboring balcony, up side down to be sure, 
but nevertheless the "Stars and Stripes." Order 
was restored only when this was hauled down 



232 The Sixth Massachusetts 

and the ceremony proceeded. As the comandante 
rode away, the rope of the flag staff on top 
the City Hall began to vibrate, when although 
the flag was not yet visible, the shouting began, 
continuing until a large new flag, caught by the 
breeze, was unfurled over the top cornice of the 
building. Cheer after cheer and storms of ap- 
plause rent the air. All the pent up excitement 
and enthusiasm of this excitable race broke loose, 
when that event to which they had so long looked 
forward was consummated. One excitable ne^ro 
on a broken-down horse with a long trailing this; 
heading a procession of the lower order of the 
populace, paraded the streets with all the excitable 
spirit of an anarchist mob. No outbreak, however, 
occurred, and shops and houses were again opened 
and peace was restored. 

Following the troops to the station, the writer 
was standing behind the comandante, when a 
soldier who had deserted from his company but 
now returned to get transportation to Spain, was 
brought up to him. The officer looked at the 
man, struck him first with the back of his hand 
in the face, then with his fist, finally across the 
face with his walking stick, while the soldier stood 
and trembled like a kicked cur, and then crawled 
away to hide himself among his comrades, no 
indication by sign or word being made by the 



Arecibo 233 

soldiers of the action of the comandante being 
an unusual or unnatural one. 

The natives after the murder on Sunday finding 
themselves debarred from entering the city and 
foiled in their plan of revenge by violence to 
Spanish soldiers, had resorted to the subterfuge 
of burning the haciendas in the neighborhood of 
Arecibo. Sunday night fourteen were burned, 
the following evening twenty-one, and an equal 
number on Wednesday night. When we turned 
from the ceremonies attendant upon evacuation, 
from every hill-top was rising a column of smoke, 
telling the story of burning homes (one of which 
was the country residence of their priest, who has 
been many years in Arecibo and is much beloved 
by the people), as a defiant message to the de- 
parting army of their hatred and contempt for 
them. 

The trouble between Spaniards and natives 
reached far back into the country, wherever there 
was a house or property worth molesting which 
belonged to their old masters. The law forbid- 
ding firearms to be kept in the possession of any 
citizen rendered a planter almost helpless against 
a crowd of natives bent on pillaging, while the 
national timidity characterizing this people added 
to their alarm. In the presence of one soldier, 
they became brave and talked fearlessly ; but when 



234 The Sixth Massachusetts 

left alone they showed the greatest terror, and 
would ride miles to ask for a detail for the pro- 
tection of their property. If all such requests 
made had been granted, it would have taken as 
many regiments as we had men. The policy 
adopted was that of placing a company in the 




Charity. 



most prominent towns, where the captain became 
the acting mayor or alcalde, and from which point 
of vantage small details of men would be sent into 
the country. 

While in these places, the officers and men 
received every attention from the natives, and in 
return the natives received uniform consideration 
and courteous treatment at the hands of the 
soldiers. The owners of many haciendas who had 



Arecibo 235 

opened their doors to privates of the 6th as a 
military guard closed them behind them as warm 
friends. That the attitude of the 6th towards the 
natives had been that of a guest rather than of 
a conqueror was the uniform opinion held on the 
island. 

That the natives hated the Spaniards with the 
intensity of the savage can hardly be wondered at 
when one hears the stories of oppression and per- 
secution which have characterized the Spaniards' 
treatment of them for years. Stories too dreadful 
to put in print were told by unquestionable author- 
ity of indignities which had been endured at the 
hands of the Spaniards, and for which there had 
been no redress and no appeal. 

The society known as the " Black Hand," similar 
to the old Ku-klux of the South, whose warning 
symbol was the impress of the hand in black on 
the door, was the terror of the island. Morning 
inspection took place at early dawn to see if this 
hand of destiny had been placed on the panel, and 
if it had it meant " to git/' 

The members of this society were in great de- 
mand, and a number of them were caught by our 
soldiers at different times during the summer. 

With the departure of the Spanish troops, all 
their sick were taken from the hospital at Arecibo, 
leaving only a few natives as patients. It was im- 



236 The Sixth Massachusetts 

perative to have this for the use of our sick as 
they were transferred from Utuaclo, and as there 
was another building which furnished ample ac- 
commodation for the few natives it was no hard- 
ship for them. The authorities resented having 
to give up the hospital, not considering the order 
as one to be obeyed until warned, after several 
delays, that if the building was not vacated the 
following morning our men would move the pa- 
tients out themselves. This final order accom- 
plished the result desired. The chapel of the 
hospital, being a Roman Catholic one, was locked 
and sealed. 

This hospital was one of the best buildings in 
Porto Rico, built in a scpiare with a broad colon- 
nade running about the inside court. To our men 
who had been lying for weeks in the rough coffee 
warehouses down in the valley, and who arrived 
exhausted from the long journey over almost im- 
passable roads in army wagons, the change was 
like magic. To look out on one side through a 
row of Greek columns into a court rilled with 
palms and flowers, and on the other down the 
slope to the sea, breathing the first time for months 
the bracing salt air which came oft* the sea that 
was the way home, was like a dream after the 
realities experienced. 

October 13. Colonel Rice arrived in Arecibo with 




Major George H. Priest. 



Arecibo 239 

Company A, in command of Major Gihon, Com- 
pany 1) having remained in Utuado with Major 
Priest, where Lieutenant Colonel Ames also re- 
mained in charge of the civil affairs of the dis- 
trict, Major Darling being assigned to like duty in 
Arecibo. 

Immediately after the evacuation of Arecibo 
local politics began to work, in intriguing and plot- 
ting for the control of the city. Not until told in 
a peremptory manner that they could neither dic- 
tate the policy of administration, nor influence the 
officers, and until they had found that the " gov- 
ernor pro tern." was obdurate alike to persuasion 
and threats, did they begin to realize that a just 
and law-abiding people were to be their sponsors, 
who, fearless of threats and obdurate to bribes, 
would inaugurate a system of honest government 
for the people, before unknown to them ; one just 
to all and administered regardless of past relation- 
ships existing between natives and Spaniards. 

The native guards were timid to a degree, and 
under no circumstances would they appear in time 
of trouble alone. They moved about in twos and 
threes, or as many as could get together. Appli- 
cation was made in notes such as the following : 

Will give one pair soldiers for the respect they in- 
spire where they are. 

Yours respectfully. 



240 The Sixth Massachusetts 

The fire patrol of Arecibo was gorgeous in 
shining brass helmets and flaming red coats, re- 
minding one vividly of the Roman guard of a 
cheap theatre. Boys of not over fifteen or sixteen 
figured conspicuously in this capacity. 

The absolute terror of the guards of the jail in 
Arecibo of being left alone to guard a desperate 
criminal who had been captured by our soldiers, 
was laughable. They had faith neither in the bars 
of the jail nor in the welded fetters by which he 
was held, but begged piteously for a United States 
guard, assuring the major that " he always got 
away." A wag appeared at the cell of the crimi- 
nal with a pail, and when asked what he wanted, 
he said he had " come to bail him out." 

At the end of a ride of over twenty miles from 
Utuaclo to Arecibo, the gentleman from San Juan 
with whom I was riding, stopped and spoke to a 
native standing by the roadside with a trunk. 
When asked if the native was in trouble he 
replied, " Oh, no ; that is my servant bringing my 
trunk to the station." 

The servant had walked that distance with the 
trunk on his head over a mountain trail, and no 
more was thought of it than would be of an express 
company here taking a trunk to the station. 

October 14. Company G, commanded by Capt. 
Win. Fairweather, left Arecibo at 3 p.m. for Baya- 



Arecibo 241 

mon, where formal possession was taken the follow- 
ing day. 

October 1.5. Colonel Rice received a telegram 
saying " Sixth Massachusetts to go to the States 
on transport ' Mississippi ' from San Juan." 

Captain Barrett with Company M arrived from 
Utuado at 6 p.m., having come like the other com- 
panies over the mountain trail. 

October 17. Four companies of the 6th U. S. V. 
immunes arrived in Arecibo at 6 p.m, and were 
located as follows : one company going to Utuado 
to relieve Company B, one to Lares to relieve C, 
one to Isabella to relieve Company E, the fourth 
replacing Company I at Camuy. 

October 18. Four more companies arrived at 
Arecibo, relieving Companies A, F, L, and M of 
the 6th Massachusetts. 

Colonel Rice, with headquarters' band and Com- 
panies A, F, L, and M left Arecibo by rail, arriving 
at San Juan about 4 p.m., when A and F went 
aboard the transport " Mississippi,' ' L and M not 
getting aboard until the following morning. 

October 19. Companies H, I, and K arrived in 
San Juan about 10.30, followed in the evening by 
C, D, E, and G, all going at once aboard the " Mis- 
sissippi " and settling in their assigned quarters. 



16 



242 The Sixth Massachusetts 



CHAPTER XI 

PORTO PJCO 

PORTO RICO has until lately been in the minds 
of the public a far-off and inaccessible little 
island, but owing to its being a Spanish posses- 
sion and a scene of a part of the late war, it has 
suddenly sprung into notoriety and received an 
importance and prominence out of all proportion 
to its size. Whether its development as an Ameri- 
can colony will equal in results the notoriety already 
gained by this beautiful little island remains to be 
seen. The island, measuring about one hundred 
miles in length by about forty in width, is traversed 
in length and breadth by mountain ranges from 
which numerous streams carry the surplus water 
down to the sea, their course furnishing in many 
cases the only route through the mountains, water- 
ing the rich lowlands extending from the base of 
the mountains to the sea, which together with the 
mountain slopes make available every quality of 
land in a great range of temperature, affording the 
opportunity for the cultivation of anything that 
grows. The lowlands are appropriated mostly by 



Porto Rico 243 

the sugar-cane and tobacco plantations, while the 
slopes of the mountains are given up to the coffee 
and banana fields. Cocoanuts grow over all the 
lowlands, there being about San Juan literally 
cocoanut forests, each tree bearing a number of 
cocoanuts that seems incredible to us in the North, 
which are peddled about the streets of San Juan 
in the early morning, taking the place of soda 
water to the thirsty pedestrians. 

The island was discovered by Columbus in 1492 
on his second voyage to America, the first town 
being founded in 1510 by Ponce de Leon, now 
known as Puerto Viejo, and in 1511 the better 
known city of San Juan. The beauty and fertility 
of the island at once appealed to a population 
which in its occupation soon subdued and swept 
away the native inhabitants. A series of invasions 
followed one another: in 1595 one by Drake ; in 
1598 by the Earl of Cumberland; the Dutch at- 
tacked the Castillo Delmono in 1615 ; the English 
made an unsuccessful attempt in 1678 and in 1797. 
The struggle of the Porto Ricans for independence 
in 1820 was defeated, and the Spanish supremacy 
again was supreme in 1823, Slavery has been 
general over the island, it being abolished only 
in 1873. 

The population is made up of a variety of people 
that is truly cosmopolitan so far as representation 



244 The Sixth Massachusetts 

by races is concerned. Between the titled Spaniard 
and the blackest blacks whose parents a generation 
ago were brought as slaves from Africa, are found 
Chinese, English, French, Cubans, and Portuguese, 
forming a heterogeneous population the future of 
which no man can foresee. 

If there is a court life where education and 
refinement are dominant factors, on the other hand 
there is the great majority who are ignorant and 
stupid. 

In the very shadow of the cathedral at Arecibo 
takes place every Sunday afternoon a native Afri- 
can dance to the music of tom-toms, as wild and 
weird as though it were in the jungles of Africa. 

With the peculiarity of all tropical countries, 
where the people and vegetation seem to grow in 
inverse ratio, the more profuse and luxuriant the 
vegetable life the lower the order of physical. 

The ignorance of the lower classes is appalling. 
Some idea of their interest in religion may be 
gathered from the following : The district of 
Utuado has a population of about forty thou- 
sand. But one church, the Catholic, exists for the 
entire number, and only about two hundred of 
the forty thousand profess to have any connection 
with the church, and of the two hundred very few 
go to mass. These figures will not need verifica- 
tion to the regiment. Father Sherman's very signi- 



Porto Rico 247 

ficant remark, when he preached in Utuado, that 
he had to brush the cobwebs from the pulpit as 
he entered it, is the key to the understanding the 
lack of instruction, and the prevailing ignorance 
existing among this large population, the great pro- 
portion of whom can neither read nor write. 

Every town of any size has a pretentious church, 
but these with the exception of San Juan are, like 
the poorer churches of Spain and Italy, tawdry in 
their decorations and appointments. At San Juan, 
however, there are two or three quite worthy of 
note besides the cathedral, which latter would bear 
a star in Baedeker. 

Father Thomas E. Sherman, who has been on 
the island for some months, says in his report to 
I J-eneral Brooke : — 

" The state of religion on the island is very unsatis- 
factory. Though in every town of any size there is 
found a large and handsome edifice, the services are 
very poorly attended. All the inhabitants of the island, 
with few exceptions, are nominally at least Roman 
Catholics. Very few of the men are more than Catho- 
lic in name. They are baptized, married, and buried 
by the priests ; that is the extent of their Catholicism. 

" There are many schools, both in town and in coun- 
try. Those in the country are poorly and irregularly 
attended. The children are bright and quick, develop 
earlier than ours, and many are capable of learning to 
read and write much sooner than the American children. 
The prompt sending of teachers of the lower grades 



248 The Sixth Massachusetts 

acquainted with both English and Spanish would be 
the best step to facilitate a change in the system of 
educations and to enable the rising generation to become 
Americanized. 

"The system of burial in Porto Rico has been bar- 
barous. In places corpses are thrown into shallow 
graves, sometimes without box or casket. The ceme- 
teries are too small and frequently crowded. The state 
of morality can be inferred from the fact that the num- 
ber of illegitimate children exceeds that of the legnti- 
mate. Concubinage is said to be common, and is not 
sufficiently discountenanced either legally or socially. 
The eradication of this great evil presents one of the 
most difficult problems in Porto Rico, owing to the 
mixture of races there." 

Deaths occurred amongst the natives in numbers 
that are simply appalling. From three to nine 
funerals passing on the same road during a single 
morning was not unusual. Drawn by superstition 
rather than faith, the bodies of the dead are brought 
to the village cemetery in coffins made of a frame- 
work covered with black canvas, which are bor- 
rowed for the occasion, and are then replaced in 
the storerooms, the bodies being interred without 
coffins. These are carried on the shoulders of from 
two to four men, who with all possible speed, vary- 
ing from a fast walk to a run, unattended with 
mourners or friends of the deceased, discharge their 
duty without ceremony. For children coffins made 
from the royal palm bark are mostly used, in form 



Porto Rico 249 

like a basket, in which the body is placed and car- 
ried on the shoulder or head of a single native to 
the cemetery. Such boxes are also utilized for 
cradles and for bringing the babies to the church 
for christening by those who attend to this formal- 
ity. During mass one morning, I remember seeing 
eight babies in their bark boxes, placed on the 
ground in the shade of the church, lying quietly in 
the care of one woman, waiting for the finishing of 
mass for the baptismal service. At another time 
a box standing on the ground on the church plaza, 
unattended, with no person in sight, contained the 
corpse of a child, while the bearer had gone across 
the street to look for the priest. An incident 
which happened in Utuado, while the regiment 
was in camp there, was the burial of a woman, 
who unfortunately was too tall for the space pre- 
pared for her. The problem was solved by ampu- 
tating her legs at the knees, interring her bi- 
sections. 

I am sure the author of " From Greenland's Icy 
Mountains " must have been to Porto Rico, for never 
was there such exemplification of the lines of — 

" Where every prospect pleases, 
And only man is vile." 

It is impossible to this clay to think without a 
shiver of the island with its wonderful variety and 
luxuriance of beautiful foliage being the stage-setting 



2 5 



The Sixth Massachusetts 



for the native Porto Rican. No description of the 
poorer classes and the absolute poverty and absence 
of every comfort of a home can convey to the reader 
a correct idea of their life or your impressions as 
you would come suddenly through the thick foliage 




A Suburban Residence. 

on one of the native bark-covered huts, half open, 
for doors there were none, with no furniture, the 
children naked, and their parents in rags squatting 
like apes in the front of the shack. An indescrib- 
able loathing of the inanity and inactivity of such 
a life made one long for rocky New England and an 
honest clay's work. Men or women followed by 
children creep out in the morning and hunt their 
breakfast of bananas or fruit just as a pig will hunt 
its breakfast of acorns. 



Porto Rico 25 1 

Gladly do we leave this existence for that of the 
towns, and even there life is simplicity itself com- 
pared to our manner of living. The monotony was 
broken by the arrival of the regiment or companies 
in different towns, and gladly did the natives 
open their houses to officers and privates. In 
certain cases it was from policy. In all the cities 
the most loyal Spanish sympathizers, usually 
the moneyed class, who the day before our arrival 
had designated us by the favorite Spanish expres- 
sion as " Yankee pigs," were the first to open their 
houses, and were most insistent in their attention 
to the officers. 

The native music, with its minor chord, had a 
savage sweetness, yet the unconsciously expressed 
cry of bondage, as it would sound through the 
night air to the accompaniment of a Spanish 
guitar. We were constantly surprised to find 
such a number of pianos in the interior of the 
island, and so much musical talent. Much good 
music was heard, but just at the time of our arrival 
the favorite air at Utuado among the natives, heard 
on all sides, was " After the ball is over." 

The necessity owing to the over-stocked condi- 
tion of insect life in the island rendered hangings 
and carpets almost a forbidden luxury, being found 
only in the homes of the rich, and there in great 
scarcity. The houses, built almost entirely of wood, 



252 The Sixth Massachusetts 

without plaster, glass, or chimneys, on account of 
earthquakes, have the look of a boat club or camp. 
In the evening the doors are thrown open, and 
the formal array of cane-seated furniture, stiffly 
arranged in two rows facing each other, furnish 
the family a meeting place, where the soldiers 
were often present, conversing with signs and a 
very limited vocabulary of Spanish ; for the better 
class in the towns have very correct ideas of the 
proprieties of life, and if the men wished to see 
the sehoritas it must be in the presence of the 
seiiora. 

The many native fruits growing wild give an 
existence to a large population to whom work is 
an unknown quantity ; but that they suffer for the 
inactive life they lead and the food they eat is 
shown by the diseased condition of the children and 
the great number of deaths occurring daily. The 
better classes use more meat than would be ex- 
pected in a hot climate, while salt fish is its 
substitute for the poor. 

Of the many available fruits used by the natives 
bananas are the most abundant, furnishing the 
staple diet for the poor. These are rarely eaten 
raw, being cooked in many ways, from boiling to 
frying in oil. The Spanish wines were formerly 
cheap and good, and were used as in all European 
countries, while native rum, by its cheapness and 



Porto Rico 253 

rapidity of action, has gained a hold in the estima- 
tion of many that nothing can supplant. 

The water filter stands on the piazza of every 
well-to-do citizen, but the water is drunk without 
ice, there being but two ice plants on the island, 
one in Ponce, the other in San Juan. 

The mineral resources of the island are still an 
unknown quantity, although the optimistic prospec- 
tor declares there exists a great wealth of gold and 
silver in addition to the baser metals. Coal was 
discovered by the merest chance of the natives 
using stones for building a camp-fire, when to 
their surprise their kettle fell to the ground, the 
supposed stones having disappeared entirely, eaten 
up by the flames. 

Bull fighting has been tried, but the climate 
is too enervating for developing fighting stock. 
Fashion has tried to perpetuate this " manly art ; " 
but, owing to the indisposition of the bulls to fight, 
the populace has given it up and taken solace, 
like the Mexicans, in cock fights, the pits for which 
are found in every town and licenses issued per- 
mitting the same. One of the first official acts of 

Major in Arecibo was to grant such a 

license. 

The traveller who goes to the island must be 
ready to leave train or carriage at any point for 
the saddle, and be willing to sleep on a canvas cot 



254 The Sixth Massachusetts 

in a room with any number of people. You are 
expected to ask for a " bed " and not for a room. 
These so-called beds are made of canvas stretched 
on a frame which closes up like a clothes-horse. 

The fastidious will do well to remain at the 
Hotel Inglaterra in San Juan or the French Hotel 
in Ponce, but they will not see the true Porto 
Rican life. 

If one objects to having chickens stray into his 
bedroom, or dislikes having the landlady smoke 
cigars while serving his dinner, or is prejudiced 
against the native custom of having a baby dressed 
only for the "all together" in the middle of the 
dinner table, he must not travel. On the other 
hand a day over the island makes one forget much 
of native customs, for the scenery is picturesque to 
the degree of appearing artificial. Topographically 
the island lends itself to a tropical vegetation 
with the best results. Volcanic eruptions have 
piled the mountains up to a height of five to six 
thousand feet, in a boldness of lines that would 
suggest the Alps were it not for the draping 
and dressing of every shade of green, hiding in 
shadows the uneven surfaces and giving an appear- 
ance in the distance of solid banked forests. It is 
the exception to find a cliff that lias eluded the 
seed of fern or plant in its search for a home. 

Where the roads have been finished, as the one 



Porto Rico 255 

from Ponce to San Juan, they are splendid examples 
of European military construction, and quite the 
equal in engineering skill to those in the old world. 
The fact that there are comparatively so few miles 
built on the island is due to the extravagance and 
dilatoriness of the Spanish colonial system. 

Outside the two or three principal cities the 
ordinary method of travel for men and women is 
in the saddle. The small native horses, looking 
like broken-down ponies, are marvels of strength 
and endurance. Used as pack horses they carry all 
merchandise into the interior, over roads that are 
not more than trails, through swollen streams, up 
and down mountain paths,, living on nothing but 
grass, for grain as feed for horses they do not 
know. Yet the American officer was always glad 
to leave his big army horse for one of these easy- 
gaitecl, sure-footed ponies if he had a journey to 
make into the interior. One may go in any direc- 
tion, and find his way leading over roads that are 
blasted out of solid rock, along the edge of pre- 
cipices, or creeping snake-like about the base or 
side of a mountain, over stone bridges which span 
ravines where, hundreds of feet beneath, the water 
can be heard falling over the rocks in its rush to 
the sea in streams bordered with great clumps of 
bamboo, their delicate green foliage swaying as 
gracefully in the breeze as any ostrich feathers on 



256 The Sixth Massachusetts 

my lady's bonnet. And, as if not content with the 
profusion of tropical greens, and the modest display 
of colors from flowers and shrubs, great trees 
blossom out into huge bouquets, until color is 
literally splashed on the landscape. Imagine a 
tree the size of a large oak, whose entire surface is 
one mass of brilliant red set against a background 
of vivid green, with a neighboring tree throwing 
out blossoms of yellow flowers, in form and size like 
those of our trumpet vine. Nature has been royal 
in her lavish gifts of color to the island. Bermuda, 
with her emerald ground dotted with the immacu- 
late white-washed cottages, compared with Porto 
Rico is like a prim little Quakeress in the presence 
of a semi-barbaric queen of the Orient, decked in 
all her savage splendor. When night falls and the 
full moon rises over the island, turning every tint 
to silver, and rilling the air with the perfume of a 
thousand flowering plants that is almost sickening 
in its sweetness, life is truly like a chapter from 
the Arabian Nights. What moonlight in Venice 
is to the work of man, moonlight in Porto Rico is 
to the work of nature. 

There are many old estates surrounded by moss- 
grown walls, embedded in which are carved stone 
seats and gates with broken iron railings, through 
the bars of which one sees neglected gardens and 
basins of fountains over which water has long 



Porto Rico 257 

since ceased to flow, but which stand as a monu- 
ment to " better days." The trim, well-kept gar- 
den and grounds are the rare exception. Only at 
San Juan, bordering a coast more beautiful than 
the ocean drive at Newport, are there houses half 
seen behind luxuriant growths of palms and cocoa- 
nuts, and through avenues of tropical foliage arch- 
ing over broad hard walks, ending in a vista of 
blue water and rocks that give one an idea of 
possibilities realized. 

The island has had its coterie of titled officials, 
who, as in all Spanish colonial life, maintained the 
degrees of rank and perpetrated a mimic court life 
with all the ardor and shallowness of the mother 
country. 

The governor's palace at San Juan, from its spa- 
ciousness and peculiarly beautiful location at the 
entrance of the harbor, impresses one at first as 
regal. As you walk through its spacious suites 
and enclosed broad piazzas, seen under a light that 
is softened by endless shades and blinds, you feel 
that much might be forgiven a politician for 
scheming to live there. Broad piazzas, enclosed in 
dark blinds, furnish not only lounging corners and 
beautiful observatories over the harbor, but are 
utilized for billiard rooms and writing and reading 
corners. It is only when the first impression has 
been followed by the disappointment of a closer 

17 



258 The Sixth Massachusetts 

examination that you find stucco instead of marble, 
painted walls in places designed for mosaics, and 
cheap colored panes in windows intended for stained 
glass. Conceived on a scale of royal dimensions 
and elaborate finish, it has resulted in a huge, well- 
proportioned palace, finished with the economy 
suggestive of a seaside hotel, or our own White 
House, and lacking in everything but dimensions 
the luxuriousness of the homes of hundreds of the 
wealthy citizens of New York and Boston. 



Homeward Bound 259 



CHAPTER XII 

HOMEWARD BOUXD 

"'' They'll turn us out at Portsmouth wharf in cold an' wet an' 

rain, 
All wearin' Tnjian cotton kit, but we will not complain : 
They '11 kill us of pneumonia — for that 's their little way — 
But damn the chills and fever, men. we're goin' 'ome to-day." 

WE reached San Juan the evening of the 
day of the raising of American flags, 
the ceremony having taken place in several parts 
of the city at one time without particular demon- 
stration. 

The following morning all men " properly 
dressed " were, after inspection, allowed to go on 
shore for the day, a privilege which they appreci- 
ated, and used to the best advantage in visiting the 
fortifications and interesting buildings of San Juan, 
and viewing the ruins caused by the bombardment 
of the American fleet. Company B failed to ap- 
pear, not reporting until the morning of the 21st, 
when immediately after their arrival on board, the 
"Mississippi" weighed anchor and got under way 
at 4.30 p. m. 



260 The Sixth Massachusetts 

October 21. During our stay in the harbor, 
the most beautiful one in Porto Rico, we had been 
entertained by the preparation of the Spanish 
troops for leaving for home. As the transport which 
we had watched preparing to sail got slowly under 
way, the Spanish soldiers were cheered by our men 
while the band gave them a farewell selection. 
There were hundreds left, however, eagerly looking 
for the next transport. Continuous cheering on the 
wharf told us one morning they had sighted their 
anxiously looked-for transport, which shortly after 
ran into the harbor, and preparations were made 
for loading troops. A lighter of beeves was run 
out to the side of the ship and the animals were 
drawn on board by means of a rope looped about 
their horns. We were fortunate enough to sail 
first, but were no happier in our prospect than the 
defeated home-sick soldiers, who in turn cheered 
the 6th as we passed. 

The " Mississippi " had been represented to us as 
a most uncomfortable transport, and it was with fear 
and trembling that the men first boarded her. The 
experience of the " Yale " was not forgotten, and 
nothing could compensate for another such trip. We 
were agreeably surj)rised, for while having an unfin- 
ished interior, she was jDrovided with hammocks for 
every man, and the large caldrons for cooking made 
palatable food a possibility. The officers' quarters 






- 








Homeward Bound 263 

were limited to a degree of being uncomfortable, 
but they too were going home and did nut com- 
plain. Ice water was kept on deck, and the vessel 
made up in steadiness what she lost in elegance of 
finish. The voyage was without incident, all else 
being secondary to the thought of home. As we 
came North, the gradual change of temperature 
became apparent, and men began to think of their 
blue uniforms and overcoats, although many had 
provided themselves with heavy underwear before 
leaving Porto Rico, and supplies of underclothing 
were issued on board during the voyage, while 
others put on extra suits to the third and fourth 
thickness. Not until the morning of our reaching 
Boston, however, was the weather unpleasantly 
cold, when the brightness and significance of the 
day more than made up for a low temperature. 
There was little sleep on board the night before we 
arrived, and early in the morning men were on 
deck scanning the horizon for Boston lights. As 
we sailed up the harbor, the " Mississippi " dressed 
with colors, we were greeted with whistles from 
craft of every sort and kind. After passing quar- 
antine a tug appeared with an entire outfit for the 
regiment of heavy clothing and overcoats ; but to 
have taken the time to sort and distribute these 
supplies to the regiment would have kept us on 
board another night, so it was decided to land the 



264 The Sixth Massachusetts 

men at once, trusting to the exhilaration of march- 
ing to keep them warm in their kharkee uniforms. 
Rosettes of ribbon of the Spanish colors, held to- 
gether by a Spanish infantry button, which had 
been presented to the men on the boat, held back 
the campaign hat brims from the sunburned faces 
of the men. 

One of the pleasant features of our reception was 
the presence of General Mathews, the commander 
of the brigade of which the 6th Massachusetts is a 
member, who, with the following officers, were not 
only at the wharf to welcome the 6th, but walked 
throughout the parade with them : Thomas R. 
Matthews, brigadier general • Dr. Otis H.Marion, 
medical director ; Maj. William H. Brigham, as- 
sistant inspector general ; Capt. George M. Thomp- 
son, engineer ; Capt. Charles Kenny, brigade 
quartermaster ; Capt. Edward Glines, aid. 

The Boston papers told of our home-coming as 
follows : — 

Home again! To-day the 6th Regiment is back 
again in Boston ; back again to the homes and the 
friends that were left behind at the call of duty and 
country six months ago; back again to receive the 
plaudits of citizens who lined the streets as the sun- 
browned young veterans marched past. It was a home- 
coming of which any soldier might be proud. It was 
a home-coming that left no bitter feelings, no thoughts 
of horror and fearful death. Bright and strong, with 



Homeward Bound 265 

the flush of health upon their cheeks, with heads erect, 
and with a springing step, the men of the 6th Regi- 
ment paraded the streets of Boston, — a regiment of 
which Massachusetts may well be proud. 

With the 6th Massachusetts Regiment on board 
the transport "Mississippi" was sighted off Hull at 
9.30 o'clock this morning. A short time afterwards she 
dropped anchor off quarantine, where she was boarded 
by the health officials. Captain Stimpson was able to 
show a clean bill of health. There were only three men 
sick on board, and their trouble was only of the most 
trivial nature. 

It was a bright May day, more than six months ago, 
when the 6th Regiment assembled in Boston, paraded 
the streets of the city, were reviewed by Mayor Quincy 
and Governor Wolcott. Perhaps, had some of the men 
foreseen the hardships that were before them they might 
have desired to turn back again for the comforts of 
home. To-day, after all that has passed, they would 
not give up one moment of the suffering, the hardships, 
and the privations through which they have gone. The 
action of a few left a stain on the name of the regiment. 
To wipe that out was the desire of every man and every 
officer in the regiment. That they succeeded is best 
told in the words of General Brooke, who, when the 
regiment was about to start for home, said to Colonel 
Rice, "I am sorry to have you go. I shall miss the 
finest regiment in Porto Rico." 

Colonel Rice is proud of his men. He is proud of his 
officers, and every officer is proud of his company. Well 
they may be, for the regiment has acquitted itself with 
glory. The men have borne their sufferings without a 
murmur. They have made a name for themselves and 
for their State, and the}* love their officers. " What do 



266 The Sixth Massachusetts 

we think of him ? " replied a man, when asked for his 
opinion of Colonel Rice. " What do we think of him ? 
Why there is n't a man in the regiment that von could 
get to say a word against him. They would swear by 
him through thick and thin." And that is what' the 
6th Regiment thinks of its commanding officer. 

It was bitter cold on the transport this morning, and 
the men suffered a great deal in their light kharkee uni- 
forms, which were the same that they have been wearing 1 
for many months down in Porto Rico, and the quick 
change in climate was felt by them. 

Most of them were too excited to stay below, and 
when dinner call was sounded, shortly after eleven 
o'clock, some of the men did not care to take the time 
to go below. They gathered about the newspaper men 
and others who had boarded the ship, anxious for any 
kind of news and the sight of a Boston face. 

No news had been received from Governor Wolcott, 
and it was decided that no move should be made until 
he had been heard from. Shortly before twelve o'clock 
the "Vigilant," with the white flag of the Common- 
wealth flying at her bow, was sighted up the harbor. 
The word was passed from mouth to mouth all over the 
ship, and the men left their tins of soup and hurried to 
the upper deck. The little " Vigilant " puffed up along 
the starboard side, and then and there occurred a scene 
that is seldom witnessed, and, once seen, will never be 
forgotten by those who were present. The " Vigilant " 
gave three long whistles as a salute from the governor 
of the Commonwealth to the returning Massachusetts 
boys. The "-Mississippi" answered with three deep- 
toned whistles, the echo of which had scarcely died 
away before the terrific screech of the great siren whistle 
woke the echoes once more. Every available inch on 



Homeward Bound 267 



the starboard side of the great transport was crowded 
with soldiers, — one long line of faces from stem to 
stern. 

Suddenly some one shouted: "Three cheers for Gov- 
ernor Wolcott ! " 

The words were hardly uttered when, like the bellow- 
ing of some terrible giant, three wild, long cheers broke 
forth. The boys flung their hats in the air. They 
yelled until they could yell no more. It was grand. It 
was beautiful, because spontaneous. It was the first 
time that they had had a chance to let themselves out, 
and nothing could have stopped those young fellows 
as they poured out in these three long yells all the 
love of home, all the patriotism, and all the enthusiasm 
that had been restrained and held back in the weary 
months that they have been marching and fighting for 
their country. 

On the upper deck of the " Vigilant " stood Governor 
Wolcott, hat in hand. Every man knew him by sight, 
and every man felt a personal interest just then in the 
governor of the Commonwealth. 

Hardly had the echoes of the great cheer floated 
back again across the harbor when the 6th Regiment 
Band struck up the inspiriting strains of Sousa's " Stars 
and Stripes Forever." It only added to the enthusiasm 
of the men, and a few moments later, when the " Vigi- 
lant " had tied up outside of half a dozen tugs and Gov- 
ernor Wolcott stepped aboard, the cheering was renewed. 
There were cheers for Governor Wolcott, for Adjutant 
General Dalton, and the members of the governor's staff 
individually. Tears stood in the eyes of a few of the 
men who never shirked in the face of duty or knew 
fear as the Spanish bullets whistled about them during 
that memorable fio-ht in Porto Rico. That home-coming. 



268 The Sixth Massachusetts 

and the other that was accorded by the citizens of 
Boston when the men marched through the streets, was 
worth all of the hardships that they had gone through. 
The men of the band stood on the starboard side of the 
boat. Some of them were shivering with the cold. About 
them were wrapped blankets and nondescript articles 
of clothing that were seized in the confusion of the 
moment. The instruments were dirty and battered; 
some of them were sadly out of tune ; but to the ma- 
jority of the thousand men of the great transport it Mas 
the sweetest music they had ever heard. Its strains 
told them that they were u home again," with all that 
home means. Their departure had been hasty. Some 
of the men had hardly time to say good-bye ; but in a 
few hours they knew that they would clasp to their 
hearts those they had left so many months ago. For 
them it was beautiful music, and tears trickled down 
many a sunburnt and furrowed face. 

Among those to visit the dock, just after the troops 
arrived, was General Parsons, who was formerly colonel 
of the regiment. He was loudly cheered by the boys, 
and lie made them a short speech, in which he said: 
"I 'm proud of you, and the Commonwealth ought to be. 
You look like soldiers, and I know you are soldiers." 
He was given three cheers and a tiger by the whole 
regiment. In an interview, he said that the regiment 
was deserving of a great deal of praise, and he added, 
"All they needed was a leader, and they got him in 
Colonel Rice." 

Not much business was done in the city between two 
and four o'clock this afternoon in the sections which 
were near the route of the 6th Regiment's parade, for 
apparently everybody, from bank presidents down to 
office boys, was on the sidewalk struggling for places 



Homeward Bound 269 

in the first rows. State St. from Washington to Broad 
■was a wriggling column of men, women, and children, 
fully an hour and a half before the drums of the 6th 
were heard in the distance. By two o'clock the side- 
Avalks along Newspaper Row and School Street were 
nearly impassable. In front of City Hall the mayor's 
reviewing stand had been brought out, decorated with 
tri-colored bunting, and around this the people swarmed 
in numbers sufficient to defy the squad of police on duty 
there. Of course the greatest crowd was seen opposite 
the State House, where hundreds of women stood. 
Down either side of Beacon Street the crowd extended, 
all trying to get a little nearer the vantage point opposite 
the position of the governor. 

Shortly before the orders to start were given several 
mounted policemen arrived on the scene, and with the 
handful of patrolmen did the best they could to make a 
passage-way through the crowds. Fully ten thousand 
people by this time blocked all the vicinity of the dock- 
yard that the troops must necessarily march through to 
reach Congress Street. The formation was as follows : 

Detachment of Police. 

Gth Regiment band, bugle and drum corps, forty-two men, 

Sergeant Frank J. Metcalf, drum major, and 

Edward Morse, band leader. 

Col. Edmund Rice, Lieut. Col. Butler Ames, 

and staff. 

K Company, Captain Gray. 

M Company, Lieutenant Smith. 

E Company, Lieutenant Howland. 

L Company, Lieutenant Jackson. 

I Company, Captain Cook. 

B Company, Captain Fellows. 

D Company, Captain McDowell. 



270 The Sixth Massachusetts 

F Company, Captain Jackson. 

A Company, Lieutenant Barnsteach 

H Company, Captain Sweetser. 

Cf Company, Captain Fairweather. 

C Company, Captain Gregg. 

Then followed a street parade over the following 
route : Congress, Milk, Broad, State, Washington, 
School, and Beacon Streets to Charles Street, where the 
regiment was dismissed. The command was reviewed 
by the mayor at City Hall, and by Governor Wolcott at 
the State House. After being dismissed the companies 
were transported to their homes. All along the line of 
march the men were received with the wildest demon- 
strations. The enthusiasm of the spectators was un- 
bounded, and seldom has Boston given as hearty a 
welcome or more genuine. The regiment mustered 
nine hundred and twenty -five men and officers. 

Suburban Places Excited. 

Preparations made for reception of the men of the Sixth Rer/imetit when 
their coining was known. 

News of the arrival in the harbor of the vessel with 
the men of the 6th Massachusetts Regiment aboard 
reached Wakefield, Stoneham, and other suburban places 
almost as soon as the arrival was known in this city, and 
local excitement was great in the towns mentioned, from 
both of which places so many men went away with their 
companies. In Wakefield the streets soon took on an 
unwonted look with so many of the residents out to 
hear the latest news, and to speculate upon the probable 
arrival in the town of those whose home is there. 

General business was at a standstill for the time, and 
only the important subject of the arrival of the men 




r/j 



Homeward Bound 273 

occupied every one. Preparations had been carefully 
made under appointed committees, who only awaited the 
signal to put into operation the plans made for the com- 
ing home of the soldiers. Everybody had been inter- 
ested, and no time was lost in carrying into effect the 
plans mapped out. A military call was sounded for 
the gathering of the Citizens' War Relief Committee, 
Post 12, G. A. R., and others who, with a band, 
met in Central Square and marched to the railroad 
station to take the train to this city to give the first 
welcome to the men. It was arranged for Col. James F. 
Mansfield to telephone to Wakefield the latest news 
regarding the soldiers, so that the townspeoiue could 
keep constantly in touch with what was happening here. 

The arrangements in Wakefield include the general 
gathering of the citizens in large numbers to meet the 
train from Boston and to escort the soldiers to their 
armory upon arrival. It was thought best to provide a 
substantial luncheon for them, after enjoying which 
they could go quietly to their homes, for formal cere- 
monies were thought inopportune at this time when the 
men need rest and preferred to reach their homes and 
families as soon as possible. This was the prevailing 
sentiment, and so only along the line of march could 
the townspeople show their cordial welcome just at this 
time. 

Equal excitement was created in Stoneham, which 
did not intend, apparently, to be outdone by her sister 
town, and in that place careful preparations had been 
made in advance to await the arrival of the men. The 
movement was unanimous for their welcome, and various 
organizations had a part in the plans. Upon hearing 
the news from this city the reception committee started 
for Boston to meet the soldiers and conduct them across 

18 



27+ The Sixth Massachusetts 

the city to the Union Station as soon as they were at 
liberty to start for home. The Stoneham station has 
been the scene of a gathering which each hour made 
larger and larger. 

When the steamer arrived in the harbor this morning 
the fire alarm gong struck the military call to notify the 
reception committee to proceed to Boston to welcome 
the boys as they landed. A second military call was 
arranged to notify the townspeople of the company's 
leaving the Union Station for Stoneham. This likewise 
would be a signal for the people to proceed to the depot 
in Stoneham to form a procession, including many 
organizations of that place. 

Lowell's arrangements for the reception of her sol- 
diers belonging to the 6th Regiment were the outcome 
of a plan suggested by the mayor and taken up by many 
citizens, so that the movement was one in which a large 
number of people had been actively interested. Money 
was subscribed to meet the expenses of giving the 
returned soldiers a warm welcome. As soon as it was 
known in Lowell that the vessel was coming to-day a 
messenger was sent to this city to keep the mayor of 
Lowell posted regarding the movements of the regiment 
in passing quarantine, landing, and the like. The mes- 
senger met the soldiers here and accompanied them on 
the train home. For their arrival there all the bands in 
the city offered their services free for the procession, 
and the High School Regiment was given permission to 
turn out. The arrangements included the provision of 
a light luncheon at the Lowell armory on arrival of the 
soldiers. It is an interesting fact that when the men 
left their homes to go to war, chime bells in the city 
played " The Girl I Left Behind Me," and it was 
thought by the committee that " When Johnny Comes 



Homeward Bound 275 

Marching Home " would be the most appropriate selec- 
tion which could be chosen for the home-coming. 

In Fitchburg, well-arranged plans were made for the 
reception of the men belonging there. As in other 
places, the fire alarm was made the means of keeping 
the people posted regarding the movements of the regi- 
ment after the arrival in the harbor here. Business had 
been suspended for the time being and school chil- 
dren enjoyed a holiday. The Fitchburg Band and the 
Sacred Heart Drum Corps volunteered their services as 
escorts, others being Post 19, G. A. R., and Camp 28, 
S. V., of Fitchburg, and Post 53, G. A. R., and Camp 52. 
S. A'., of Leominster. 

Milford sent a delegation to this city, and their 
departure from that town was the signal for considerable 
excitement in anticipation of the near arrival there of 
the men. The preparations there included escort of the 
soldiers by the Milford Brass Band, Post 22, G. A. P.. 
the Sons of Veterans, and the Milford High School 
Cadets on arrival of the train. The citizens were also 
asked to join in the march. A depot of supplies had 
been opened for those interested to leave flannels, etc., 
for the soldiers. 

Marlboro citizens also sent a committee to welcome in 
this city the men from that place, and the plans for the 
reception in their own home will show the soldiers that 
they have by no means been forgotten while away on 
duty. As in many other places, it was planned to give 
them a public banquet and reception when they were 
rested. 

South Framingham's plans were not for a great 
demonstration, it being realized that the men were not 
likely to be in suitable condition to care for much 
beyond reaching their own homes as quickly as possible. 



276 The Sixth Massachusetts 

The men were met here by a committee to escort them 
to their town, and there the welcome was carefully 
planned so as not to tax their strength or take their 
time beyond the march to the armory with early dis- 
missal for home. Future plans were made for their 
entertainment in a more elaborate way, when they could 
better enjoy a demonstration in their honor. 

The " Boston Transcript," Oct. 29, 1890. 

The 6th Regiment certainly looked well as it marched 
through the streets Thursday afternoon ; the stain of 
campaigning, the look of use about equipments, the 
crowd and exultant faces of the soldiers, the shouts of 
the crowd, all went to make up an old-time war picture. 
It was rather a surprise to see the men looking so well ; 
those who return from Porto Rico do not bring with 
them the " Santiago look." That a large regiment made 
up of green men should have lost so few from sickuess 
in an active campaign in a tropical country is certainly 
a fine tribute to Porto Rican climate, as well as to the 
present commander and the medical officers of the 
regiment. 

To take a corps that was entirely demoralized, that 
was sick and undisciplined and ashamed, and put into 
as good shape as this excellent regiment was that came 
home on Thursday, would be a brilliant military achieve- 
ment anywhere. To do so in a foreign tropical country 
under severe disadvantages, is indeed a great triumph 
for Colonel Rice. The 6th, early discredited, has a 
new earned reputation through this accomplished organ- 
izer. The regiment's service has of course been nothing 
compared with that of the 2d, but just at this moment 
its greatness is unequivocal. 



Homeward Bound 277 

I have heard some wonder expressed at the Spanish 
rosettes on the soldiers' hats ; a great many people were 
sure it was not proper for American soldiers to wear 
"the enemy's colors."' A little study of heraldry would 
have convinced these doubters that the warrior may 
Avear as a trophy a conquered enemy's insignia. The 
victorious knight has the privilege of quartering a van- 
quished antagonist's emblems on his own shield. The 
Spanish rosette fastening back the hat flaps on the 6th 
was not only correct in a heraldic sense, but was a great 
embellishment to the regiment. It took the slouch out 
of the campaign hat and gave the boys an appearance. 
It is to be hoped the 6th will stick to this rosette, and 
make it a distinguishing mark in future vears. 

The " Boston Evening Transcript " October 30th, 
said of our home coming; : — 

The 6th looked solid, serviceable, and soldierly as it 
marched through the streets of Boston yesterday. Offi- 
cers and men appeared to be in excellent physical con- 
dition as a whole. Some faces looked worn and pale, 
but many more were so tanned that the Caucassians of 
old Middlesex could scarcely be detected at a glance 
from the " smoked Yankees " of Company L. The per- 
sonnel of the regiment is remarkably fine. In few 
countries could a thousand young men be drawn to- 
gether without the aid of conscription who would aver- 
age as tall, well-formed, and active as the mass of the 
6th. They are fully as stalwart as the English linesmen, 
and have a nervous force that Tommy Atkins, with all 
his good qualities, lacks. Such a regiment in Paris 
would be regarded as the advance guard of an army of 
giants. The march of yesterday gave evidence of a 



278 The Sixth Massachusetts 

home-coming from foreign service by the parrots and 
game cocks perched on the shoulders of the men, and 
the Spanish cockades worn in their hats, souvenirs that 
smacked of the soil of Porto Rico. Nor was the " mas- 
cot " missing, a little white dog born in Porto Rico, who 
wagged a willing allegiance to the colors of the 6th. 
The regiment gave evidence also of the benefits a vol- 
unteer corps receives from being commanded by a kk regu- 
lar," who has among his associates at least two officers 
who have either served in the regulars or been educated 
at West Point. 



The regiment marched out through the city, 
sunburned and black, causing the remark to be 
made constantly that the men looked well. If the 
public could have eliminated the tan and the 
exhilaration attendant on the home coming, they 
would have seen a crowd of men who with few 
exceptions were then suffering, and will for many 
months to come suffer, from the results of the Porto 
Rican campaign. 

The welcome home given the 6th was a royal 
one, and one that made the men forget the days 
of hunger and weariness. Rather did they ask 
themselves: Are Ave worthy the compliment the 
State has paid us? The appreciation of the re- 
ception was the more intense because of the 
unfortunate criticism which had been made of the 
regiment at one time during the summer. But 
when the parade was over and the companies were 



Homeward Bound 281 

dismissed to go to their own homes, it was with 
the assurance that whatever misunderstanding 
may have arisen or misrepresentations been made 
the 6th still held the confidence and respect of 
Massachusetts. 

Youths who had left their homes as boys 
returned as men, having earned the respect of the 
older citizens of their town, while the paternal 
care and interest shown by the older members of 
society in the " enlisted men " touched a spring of 
sympathetic understanding and affection in the 
younger men that nothing else but an experience 
like in kind to that of '98 could have developed. 

As days jmssed and men no longer had to " be 
careful what they ate," receptions were tendered 
each company in turn by the citizens of its town. 
The presence of the Colonel and Mrs. Rice was a 
pleasure to the men, who at Fitchburg presented 
Mrs. Rice with a souvenir pin of diamonds and 
pearls. 

On Saturday, January 21, the regiment was 
mustered out of the United States service by 
Colonel Weaver, and received its final pay. 

Colonel Weaver, who had also mustered the 
regiment in, remarked at the banquet that he " had 
acted, so to speak, in the capacity of wet nurse 
and undertaker to the regiment." By his uniform 
kindness and many favors shown the officers in 



282 The Sixth Massachusetts 

the routine of duty Colonel Weaver has gained a 
respect that is more akin to affection than duty. 

Companies F, E, and M were mustered out at 
South Framingham, Companies A, H, I, and L, 
in Boston, Companies B and D in Fitchburg, 
Companies C and G in Lowell, and Company K 
in Southbridge. 

As a proper finish to the history of the 6th 
Massachusetts, U. S. V., in the Spanish-American 
war, on the evening of the 21st after muster out, 
the officers of the regiment tendered Col. Edmund 
Rice a reception at the University Club, Boston, 
where they were able to greet him in the good 
fellowship of man to man. 

Lieut, Col. Butler Ames acted as master of 
ceremonies. 

After the tables had been cleared, Governor 
Wolcott was introduced. He said : — 

I have been sitting here in a thoroughly enjoyable 
state, and, although Colonel Ames has said that no din- 
ner would be complete without speeches, I think that 
any society or regiment which can hold a meeting of 
this kind without speeches has achieved great distinc- 
tion. I deem it a great privilege and honor to meet the 
officers of the 6th Regiment here to-night. I have always 
taken a special interest in the 6th Regiment. I will not 
go into details regarding the period preceding the 
appointment of Colonel Rice as commanding officer of 
the regiment. Suffice it to say that it was a period of 
great anxiety to me. I do not wish to refer particn- 




Lieut. Col. Butler Ames. 



Homeward Bound 285 

laxly to the Charleston affair, although I received 
numerous anonymous letters and telegrams at that 
time. 

For a long time I could get no answer to the tele- 
grams I sent regarding the resignations in the 6th, but 
at length I received a definite statement, and also a 
strong recommendation for the appointment of Colonel 
Rice as the commanding officer of the regiment. It 
took me, perhaps, less than an hour to decide. There 
were many men in the State House who knew the 
record of Colonel Rice during the Civil War, and I there- 
fore appointed him instantly. 

The reports which I received of the regiment there- 
after caused me to think that I had made no mistake in 
so doing. I learned that the appointment of Colonel 
Rice had been well received by the regiment, and that 
the tone of the regiment had been raised to what it 
should be, and it was profoundly gratifying to me. 

Maj. C. K. Darling was introduced as the next 
and final speaker. He reviewed briefly the march 
of the regiment across Porto Rico, and spoke of the 
day when Colonel Rice first joined it. He said : 

I want the colonel to believe that when he rode along 
the line that day, he rode straight into the hearts of 
every officer and man in the regiment. Colonel Rice, 
the officers of the 6th Regiment wish in some way to 
show their appreciation of your service and their affec- 
tion for you. 

Here is something which may remind you of this occa- 
sion, and of other occasions. It is shaped like unto the 
tin cup which we saw not long ago. I cannot guarantee 



286 The Sixth Massachusetts 

that the handles are made from the horns of the Porto 
Rican bulls which used to delay us in our progress 
across the island ; but we offer it to you with our most 
sincere regard and esteem, and we hope when you 
resign from the service in which you have served so 
long and so faithfully, that you will return to the Com- 
monwealth of Massachusetts, and settle among those 
who will always have a friendly feeling toward you. 

We wish you to believe that, wherever you may go 
or whatever friends you may make, you will find none 
that are truer or more sincere than those you see before 
you to-night. 

While Major Darling was speaking he was filling 
with champagne a magnificent silver loving cup, 
about ten inches high, with buckhorn handles. 
On one side is an enamelled Spanish rosette, like 
those which the regiment w T ore as a distinguish- 
ing badge on its return from Porto Rico, and on 
the other is the following inscription : 

Presented to Col. Edmund Rice of the 6th Massa- 
chusetts Volunteer Infantry by the officers of his regi- 
ment, who served in Porto Rico, as a tribute to his 
character as a soldier and a man. January 21, 1809. 

Colonel Rice said : — 

I am unable to express my thanks to you, gentlemen, 
for the souvenir which you have so kindly presented to 
me, but I drink to the health of the 6th Massachusetts. 

The cup was passed down the table, each officer 
as it reached him rising in his place and drinking 




J 




Statue of Columbus, Sax Juan. 



Homeward Bound 289 

to the colonel. When the cup had gone the rounds, 
the officers rose from their seats, and gave three 
hearty cheers and a tiger for Colonel Rice. 

Much has been written of the Porto Rican 
campaign in a light vein. The absence of battles. 
and the scarcity of reporters, there being but one 
with the expedition until three days after it had 
landed, have led the public to under-estimate the 
difficulties and importance of the expedition. 

The island from end to end lends itself to a 
strategic defence, and nothing but out-manceu- 
vring prevented conflicts which must have been as 
terrible as those of Cuba. It was not that the 
spirit of Spain would have manifested itself any 
less bitterly in Porto Rico than in Cuba, or that 
the streets of San Juan would not have been 
stained as indelibly with blood as those of 
Santiago ; the difference lay in the conception 
and development of the campaign. 

From the moment of landing our troops in the 
most unexpected corner of the island, the entire 
inception and execution of the campaign under 
General Miles and his assistants was brilliant. 
And while the signing of the protocol held in mid 
air the hand raised to strike, the stroke would 
have been fatal to Spanish rule in Porto Rico. 
And if that stroke had been made and victory 

19 



290 The Sixth Massachusetts 



- 



ained at no matter what sacrifice of troops, 
history would have recorded the name of Miles 
in large letters. How much more should it do 
so for a victory, almost bloodless, and one more 
like in kind to our naval victories than anything 
else seen in the Spanish-American War. 

That the Gth Massachusetts should have had 
as prominent a position as it occupied, might, 
owing to the unfortunate experience which called 
the attention of the entire country to the 
regiment, have resulted in a disappointment to 
the State of Massachusetts. Fortunately it has 
not so proved, for that the opinion held by those 
in command has been a high one is certified to by 
the numerous statements to that effect. 

The position in which the regiment was left 
after the protocol was signed, was a peculiar one, 
in which there was an unusual opportunity for 
showing strength. The officers were called upon 
to fill positions of trust involving not only an 
intimate knowledge of military and civil law, but 
that equally difficult role of being acceptable to 
the people, while just to our vanquished enemy. 
Not only the majors, but almost every captain was 
called upon to act as " alcalde " pro tern., and hold 
the reins of local government. 

The successful issue of all these duties was 
due not to the efficiency of the officers alone, but 



Homeward Bound 291 

largely to the confidence inspired by the rank and 
file, in whom the natives had great trust. 

The war has ended, and the members of the 
6th, again civilians, have committed to the State 
their record, satisfied in the consciousness that it 
may be tiled beside that of the Gth of '61. 

Governor Wolcott said, in his annual message, 
of the 6th Massachusetts : — 

" Under a colonel appointed by me from the regular 
service, to take the place of its former commander, who 
had resigned, the regiment won a reputation for soldierly 
discipline and efficiency worthy of its historic past." 



Roster 



FIELD AND STAFF OFFICERS. 

Edmund Rice, Colonel; Bctler Ames, Lieutenant Colonel / 
Charles K. Darling, Major; George H. Priest, Major; 
Edward J. Giiion, Major ; Stanwood G. Sweetser, First 
Lieutenant and Quartermaster; George F. Dow, Major and 
Surgeon; Frederic A. Washburn, Jr., First Lieutenant 
and Assistant Surgeon; Herman W. Gross, First Lieutenant 
and Assistant Surgeon; Clarence W. Coolidge, Adjutant; 
Rev. George D. Rice, Chaplain. 



NON-COMMISSIONED STAFF. 

J. Victor Carey, Sergeant Major; Frank H. Hackett, 
Quartermaster Sergeant; Stephen E. Ryder, Hospital Stew- 
ard ; Harrie C. Hunter, Hospital Steward; Edwin D. Towle, 
Hospital Steward ; Edwin G. Morse, Chief Musician ; Frank 
J. Metcalf, Principal Musician ; William R. Murphy, Prin- 
cipal Musician. 

BAND. 

George W. Chesley. Joseph W. Davis, Alfred R. Day, 
Arthur Drennau, E. B. Lancey, Albert C. Martin, Edward 
N. Mulvey, Joseph M. Nagle, Walter E. Reinhard, Frank 
Rigg, W. A. Simmons, Isadore Vigeant, Oliver D. Wood, 
Charles A. Woodcome. 



2 9 4 



Roster 



COMPANY A. 

Edward J. Gihon, Captain. 

Louis D. Hunton, First Lieutenant. 

F. E. Edwards, Second Lieutenant. 



/Sergeants. 



Charles Bridge, 1st sergt. 
Jas. H. Keough, Q. M. sergt. 
Harvey G. Brockbank. 



John H. McMahon. 
Arthur G. Oliver. 
Alton R. Sedgley. 



Harris E. Billings. 
Wilbur I. Broad. 
Edgar O. Dewey, Jr. 
Harold E. Fales. 
William B. Feindel. 
William A. Haley. 
Philip J. McCook. 



Corporals. 

Elmer E. Morrison. 
Charles F. Parker. 
George P. Rich. 
Haydon Richardson. 
J. Fred. Ronan. 
Charles II. Tabbut. 



George W. Chesley, Musician. 
William C. Jaques, Musician. 
Dion A. Malone, Artificer. 
John Stock, Waqoner. 



Privates. 



Alden, Harry P. 
Armistead, Lewis A. 
Austin, Arthur F. 
Ayscough, George. 
Bancroft, John R. 
Barrett, William F. 
Baxter, Augustus M. 



Bell, Stewart S. 
Bennett, George A. 
Boag, Robert B. 
Bradford, Harry S. 
Brown, Lewis W. 
Butler, Edward W. 
Card, George W. 




Major E. J. Gihox 
2d Lt. F. E. Edwards. 



1st Lt. Louis D. Huxtox. 



Roster 



297 



Charlton, Lawrence II. 
Collett, Charles J. 
Conuell, Henry P. 
Connelly, Edward J. 
Copel and, George O. 
dishing, George W. 
Cushman, Allerton S. 
Desmond, Daniel J. 
Doten, Amos W. 
Dulong, Enos. 
Durward, George. 
Ellis, Alfred. 
Feindle, Henry A. 
Flint, John. 
Gogin, Ernest B. 
Hackett, Frank H. 
Hale, Walter L. 
Haley, Jesse A. 
Hall. Arthur S. 
Hambly, Alfonso B. 
Hanson. George J. 
Hatch, George F. 
Hay ward, Frank M. 
Hearn, William R. 
Hobbs, William. 
Humphrey, George S. 
Kelly, Julian L. 
Mayer, Albert J. 
McDonald, Roderick. 
McDonald, Thomas A. 
Mclutire, Harry B. 
McLean, John. 
McNamara, Frank. 
Mellen, Charles E. 



MUbury, Ralph K. 
Miller, William J. 
Men-timer, Clifford. 
Mullaly. Edward C. 
Myers, H. Warren. 
Newell, Ernest P. 
Newell, Fred W. 
O'Brien, James E. 
Oliver, Chester H. 
Parker, Charles W. 
Pearson, Harry A. 
Peterson, Peter. 
Power, Thomas R. 
Ramsdell, Herbert A. 
Ray, Franklin A. 
Read, Noel C. 
Reid, George W. 
Richardson, Robert L. 
Roberts, Richard A. 
Robertson, John N. 
Rooney, George A. 
Sackett, Fred S. 
Sweetser, Walter I. 
Taylor, Brainerd. 
Taylor, Edward S. 
Thistle, Fred C 
Tworoger, Philip. 
Tyler, Lucius A. 
Wait, Nathan H. 
Warren, Myris H. 
Whittle, John A. 
Wilson, Gordon W. 
Woodworth, William L. 



■ 



298 



Roster 



COMPANY B. 

Albert R. Fellows, Captain. 
James C. Smith, First Lieutenant. 
Herbert B. Allen, Second Lieutenant. 



Sergeant*. 



Frank V. Gilsou, 1st sergt. 
George H. Lawrence, Q. M. 

sergt. 
Alexander S. Ewen, color sat. 



Sumner B. Lawrence. 
George A. Stevens. 
George H. Trembly. 



Albert C. Cutler. 
Walter A. Derby. 
Arthur M. Ferson. 
Herbert N. Fisk. 
George H. Lewis. 
Richard C. Littlehale. 



Corporals. 

Ernest C. Meekham. 
Fred S. Moore. 
Albert J. Phillips. 
William J. Robinson. 
Marvin W. Shenvin. 
Arthur L. Sunbuiy. 



John Hamburg, Musician. 
Scott G. Hutchinson, Musician. 
John T. Scanlan, Artificer. 
Clinton T. Lane, Wagoner. 



Akeley, Charles E. 
Anderson, Charles. 
Bailey, Walter A. 
Balch, Fred L. 
Bigelow, William C. 
Bonny, Ralph W. 
Benjamin F. Bourne- 
Brewer, Charles II. 



Privates. 

Briscoe, William D. 
Burnett, Henry J. 
Cairns, Malcolm. 
Campbell, John H. 
Carroll, Edward P. 
Chase, Frank M. 
Cook, Arthur H. 
Crossman, Leon II. 



Roster 



299 



Coulter, Joseph. 
Coulter, John E. 
Cutting, George T. 
Damon, Ralph E. 
Darch, Alfred J. 
Downey, Jeremiah E. 
Due, William E. 
Dufort, Edward ( i. 
Edwards, Clarence A. 
Ferrin, Levi L. 
Fillebrown, Harry E. 
Fitzgerald, Perc}" II. 
Foote, Freeman. 
Foster, Charles W. 
Frayer, Hugh. 
French, George A. 
Gilbert, Frank. 
Gunn, Charles W. 
Harley, Jr., Robert. 
Hathaway, Charles II. 
Hoffman, Harry M. 
Hunt, Alvin S. 
Horton, Myron (). 
Jewett, William S. 
Johnson, Charles L. 
Johnson, Carl C. 
Johnson, Walter I>. 
Kent, Frank W. 
Kirby, Ollie F. 
Kittredge, Arthur M. 
Knight, Walter S. 
Knox, Edward C. 
Lancey, Edwin 1>. 
Latimer. Andrew J. 



Lett, Stephen If. 
McCornisky, Charles F. 
Moffitt, John II. 
Moody, .Jesse A. 
Xewcombe, George II. 
Nute, John I>. 
O'Brian, Richard 1). 
Or, John M. 
Preston, Albert A. 
Reed, Harvey. 
Robertson, George L. 
Rossner, Louis. 
Schlott, Gustav A. 
Smith, Scott L. 
Snow, David A. 
Still, Roland L. 
Syme, Robert. 
Talbot, .Joseph R. 
Tarbell, Harry A. 
Thomas, Charles A. 
Tierney, William T. 
Vosburg, Walter II. 
Wadsworth, John W. 
Washer, Ethan II. 
Watson, Frank I.. 
Way, Allan. 
Webb. Edward C. 
Webber, Rollin F. 
Weir, Alexander. 
Wheeler, Ernest \. 
Whitman, Stephen A. 
Williams, George. 
Young, Leon E. < !. 
Younglove, William K. 



3°° 



Roster 



company c. 

Alexander Greig, Jr., Captain. 
Thomas Livingston, First Lieutenant. 
Fred. D. Costello, Second Lieutenant. 



Sergeants. 



Colby T. Kittredge, 1st sergt. 
Walter P. Berry, Q.M. sergt. 
Geo. C. Wendeii, Q.M. sergt. 
Arthur Ashworth. 



Otto S. Halm. 
Victor J. Hosmer. 
Alexander D. Mitchell. 



Edward A. Barnes. 
Herbert C. Bellamy. 
J. Victor Carey. 
Fred N. Charland. 
Ralph W. Clogston. 
Russell 8. Goring. 



Corporals. 

James N. Greig. 
Horatio W. Hatch. 
Willard D. Pratt. 
William E. Savage. 
Arthur H. Tnttle. 
Leslie J. Wisener. 



Francis Rigg, 1 Musician. 
Fred D. AVoodbury, Musician. 
Ezra Bowden, Artificer. 
Bert W. Chandler, Wagoner. 



Privates. 



Abbott, Philip E. 
Aldrich, P^ugene L. 
Archibald, Albert R. 
Ashworth, Thomas. 
Bagshaw, Jr., Walter H. 
Baker, Ben. 



Ball, Edward E. 
Blanchard, Elezor. 
Blennerhassett, Arthur. 
Broph} T , John S. 
Burns, Francis. 
Council, George H. 



1 Transferred to Regimental Band Sept. 30, '98. 




Captain Alexander Gkeig. 
1st Lt. Thomas Livingston. 2d Lt. Fred. D. Costello. 



Roster 



303 



Cooke, William E. 
Crawford, Sewall J. 
Curtin, Charles E. 
Davis, Joseph W. 
Davidson, "William. 
Delonne, Joseph. 
DemaraiZj Odina. 
Dexter, Robert C. 
Douglas, Frank C. 
Duffy, Charles J. 
Duncan, Augustus E. 
Dunlavey, George F. 
Kllis, Thomas. 
Faneuf, Charles L. 
Flanagan, Edward M. 
Garland, Arthur F. 
Gifford, David T. 
Gillingham, George D. 
Goodwin, Walter F. 
Halloran, John J. 
Hardy, Maurice E. 
Harmon. Fred F. 
Hastings, Fred I). 
Hutchins, Edmund F. 
Kelly, Frank L. 
Kelsey, John H. 
Kimball, Clifton P. 
Kincaid, James. 
Landry, Homer J. 
La Point, John J. 
Larkiu, John. 
Maxfield, James P. 
McAuley, Archibald. 
McGlynn, Frank. 
^IcKenzie, James. 
McQuesten, Harry W. 



Mercier, Louis. 

Miller, Ross. 

Moriu, Ouila. 

Nealley, Albert F. 

Nowlan, Edwin E. 

O'Brien, Frank D. 

O'Hearn, Francis J. 

( >streicher, Jacob. 

Parke, Frank G. 

Peterson, George W. 

Pihl, Carl F. 

Regnier, Samuel. 

Richardson, Albert F. 

Royal, John J. 

Ryan, Martin J. 

Sanborn, William P. 

Savage, Asa J. 

Savage, Herbert. 

Sears, Eben J. 

Secord, Louis O. 

Sutherland, George. 

Tilton, Charles E. 
Tremble, Mede. 
Varnum, Algernon P. 
Walch, Herman S. 
Walker, Ernest L. 
Walker, John P. 
Walker, William. 
Waugh, George. 
Williamson, Dan R. 
Winslow, Charles S. 
Whitcher, Frank P. 
Worthen, Jr., George E. 
Young, Edward L. 
Young, Thomas A. 



3°4 



Roster 



COMPANY D. 

John F. McDowell, Captain. 
Andrew J. Welax. First Lieutenant. 
William L. Coxkad, Second Lieutenant. 



Jeremiah J. McDowell, Istsgt. 
William II. Dolan, Q.M.sgt. 
Lewis F. F again 



Sergeants. 

Michael L. Flynn. 
Patrick J. Mora:). 
John J. O'Connor. 



Anthony J. Conlon. 
John T. Gallagher. 
Thomas Godly. 
Daniel G. Mahan. 
Thomas F. Mulqueeny. 
Mark L. O'Toolc. 



Corporals. 

James F. Percival. 
John J. Shea. 
Edward T. Sullivan. 
William J. Sweeney, Jr. 
John F. Whooley. 
William W. Wilde. 



.lames F. Cooiiey, Musician. 
Frank H. Noonan, Musician. 
John J. Dunn, Artificer. 
William A. Chute, Wagoner. 



Bacon, Frank L. E. 
Baker, G. Frank. 
Bell, William J. 
Bird, Horace. 
Bonner, Charles. 
Bosley, George. 
Campbell, Joseph. 
Carleson, Herman. 



Privates. 

Carney, James F. 
Collins, Michael J. 
Connors, Daniel J. 
Connor, John II. 
Crowley, Daniel P. 
Cullen, Joseph W. 
Dailey, Dennis F. 
Daly, Ambrose. 



Roster 



305 



Delaney, John J. 
Deslaurius, Nezaire. 
Donahue, Michael. 
Donohue, Michael L. 
Driscoll, Frank. 
Fagan, George W. 
Fahey, Martin T. 
Fa ion, Michael J. 
Fenton, Eugene. 
Foley, William J. 
Gaudreau, Edward I. 
Griffin, James. 
Grozeile, Emory. 
Hartnett, Timothy F. 
Hefferman, James J. 
Higgins, Patrick. 
Higgins, "William J. 
Hynes, James P. 
Joyce, Edward. 
Kelly, Cornelius R. 
Kelly, Michael J. 
Kelly, Thomas F. 
Killelea, James. 
Killelea, John. 
Killelea, John F. 
Kittredge, Patrick F. 
King, Elroy C. 
Looney, Patrick J. 
Lucier, Frederick R. 
Lynch, John P. 
Mahan, Philip II. 
Maher, John J. 
Markham, George A. 
May, Jr., William. 
MeCarron, James. 



McClarty, William 
McCormack, John J. 
McCoy, Peter H. 
McDonald, Christopher L. 
McEachen, John T. 
McGinn, Edward. 
McMahan, Bernard J. 
McNamara, Martin. 
McXally, Thomas. 
Mealey, George E. 
Mitten, Thomas H. 
Moran, James P. 
Moriarity, Daniel J. 
Morrill, Joseph L. 
Morrilly, John H. 
Mulqueeny, James L. 
Murphy, Jerrimiah. 
Noonan, Charles H. 
Nugent, George T. 
O'Brien, James B. 
O'Hearn, John F. 
O'Rourke, Henry F. 
O'Rourke, Thomas J. 
Pepper, Thomas F. 
Phelan, John T. 
Richard, Napoleon P. 
Rummery, Charles G. 
Ryan, William F. 
Semard, Alphonse. 
Sheehan, Daniel. 
Skehan, John J. 
Smith, Frederick W. 
Stanton, George B. 
Sullivan, Edward T. 
Woodcome, Charles A. 



20 



3° 6 



Roster 



COMPANY E. 

John 8. McNeilly, Captain. 

Clarence W. Coolidge, First Lieutenant. 

George F. Rowland, Second Lieutenant. 



Herbert W. Damon, 1st sergt. 
James C. Valentine, Q. M. sgt, 
Frederic M. Kendall. 



Sergeants. 

Robert A. McNeilly, 
George 0. Parker. 
William E. Walters. 



William A. Gaines. 
William F. Howland. 
Asa J. Margerum. 
James S. O'Connell. 
Albert R. Ordway. 
Harry Puddefoot. 



Corporals. 

Walter F. Rossman. 
Herbert W. Simpson. 
George W. Sullivan. 
Walter F. Taylor. 
Clarence H. Warren. 
Arthur R. Yates. 



Herbert A. Forbnsb, Musician. 
David O'Brien, Musician. 
James M. Goldthwait, Artificer, 
William H. Damon, Wagoner. 



Privates. 



Archdale, Charles. 
Bacon, Harry E. 
Barker, Fletcher. 
Benson, Joseph L. 
Bixby, Ernest L. 
Blake, Alfred II. 
Bonvier, Frank A. 
Bowker, Frank II. 



Bragdon, Edward L. 
Brown, John W. 
Burlington, Frank E. 
Cain, John H. 
Cameron, Donald. 
Chamberlain, Walter F. 
Clapp, Frederick W. 
Clough, Otis F. 



Roster 



3°7 



Cloves, John B. 
Coburn, Clarence A. 
Collette, Joseph. 
Connors, Patrick F. 
Cullen, John E. 
Dolan, James C. 
Dunn, Cornelius J. 
Enirich, Melvin E. 
Engler, Joseph. 
Fay, Herbert C. 
Fisher, Charles II. 
Fletcher, Warren L. 
Foley, Michael II. 
Forbush, Preston I). 
Gallagher, Frank C. 
Ganaway. Frank J. 
Hanson, Peter. 
Hardigan, William C. 
Harding, Frank L. 
Harris, Olney H. 
James, Lewis C. 
Johnson, Oscar E. 
Keating, David F. 
Kelley, William A. 
Lane, George R. 
Lincoln, Caleb H. 
Littlefleld, Charles J. 
Lord, William E. 
Marsh, Alfred E. 
Meehan, Joseph P. 
Monahan, Philip P. 
McDonald, Duncan A. 
j McGrath, Edward F. 
McElroy, Thomas H. 



McMann, Charles E. 
Murry, Hugh A. 
Nevitt, Edgar ( i. 
Newell, Heuiy I). 
O'Donnell, Michael E. 
Panton, John F. 
Pease, Charles W. S. 
Perry, Herbert E. 
Perry, Louis A. 
Poor, George E. 
Porter, George J. 
Price, Albert D. 
Prophet, Joseph F. 
Henry, Ralston. 
Richard, Louis F. 
Robinson, Alphonso A. 
Rollins, Louis F. 
Samolis, Thomas. 
Sanderson, Frank E. 
Scothorne, Wilfred II. 
Seaver, George F. 
Simmons, William A. 
Smith, William A. 
Stearns, Archer C. 
Stevenson, Patrick J. 
Stowe, Arthur W. 
Sullivan, Sylvester F. 
Tucker, Frank C. 
Tuttle, Herbert C. 
Videto, Charles T. 
Ward, Daniel T. 
Wells, Charles II. 
Williston, Frank. 
Woods. Walter L. 



3 o8 



Roster 



COMPANY F. 

Thomas E. Jackson, Captain. 
Franklin G. Taylor, First Lieutenant. 
Frank E. Moore, Second Lieutenant. 



Sergeants. 



Lucius P. Hayward, Istsergt. 
Harold B. Chamberlain, 

Q. M. sergt. 
Chas. W. Holbrook, 2d sergt. 



Frank L. Best. 
Warren E. Hapgood. 
Aaron W. Hosmer. 
Walter A. Wood. 



Frank W. Buck. 
Walter A. Clisbee. 
Frank E. Cutter. 
John L. Grady. 
James A. Harris. 
George W. Higgins. 



Corporal*. 

Eldon L. Holt. 
Ernest A. Howe. 
Harold A. Leonard. 
Thomas L. McDorman. 
Henry Simard. 



Charles IL Small, Musician. 
Isadore Vigeant, Musician. 
Willis H. Page, Artificer. 
Charles R. Craig, Wagoner. 



Privates. 



Allen, Mason S. 
Angell, William J. 
Barry, James W. 
Berry, Clifton R. 
Berry, Riley A. 
Bertrand, Alma. 
Bishop, David H. 
Boniu, Amos. 



Brodeur, Eli. 
Burhoe, Herman W. 
Chamberlain, Henry W 
Chartier, Frank X. 
Clapp, Arthur W. 
Clements, Edmund F. 
Cole, John (). 
Colleary, Michael E. 



Roster 



309 



Colleary, John P. 
Cowern, Walter H. 
Cutler, George E. 
Delude, Dolor O. 
Duley, Wilmot F. 
Estabrook, Fred W. 
Estey, Frauk T. 
Faulkner, Arthur C. 
Fay, William E. 
Frazel, Jeremiah. 
Goulet, Harmodias. 
Gour, Wilfred. 
Green, John F. 
Grover, John W. 
Haight, Edwin E. 
Haines, Ira J. 
Herriek, George B. 
Hersey, Arthur B. 
Howard, Ernest D. 
Howe, Everett C. 
Howe, Fred W. 
Howe, Elton E. 
Hunt, Chester W. 
Hutch, Thomas G. 
Hutch, James. 
Johnson, Ervin F. 
Keith, Lester O. 
Kellette, John W. 
Knight, Edmund G. 
Lafay, Desithe. 
Lee, Robert E. 
Le Page, S. Wright. 
Lheureux, Louis. 
Lovely, Edward. 



Marshall, Ernest D. 
Martin, James J. 
McCarthy, Charles F. X. 
McCarthy, William F. 
McGee, Timothy. 
Melanson, Leander. 
Miles, Albert E. 
Mills, Fred II . 
Mullen, Thomas F. 
Newton, Carlton A. 
O'Brien, Dennis W. 
O'Brien, John V. 
O'Clair, Joseph. 
Pallardy, Fenny. 
Parker, Ralph A. 
Patterson, James G. 
Perry, Charles H . 
Pichette, Frank. 
Readir, Walter II. 
Redding, Walter T. 
Rodgers, S. Walter. 
Rowles, Clarence A. 
Rowles, Henry T. 
Ruggles, Harry C. 
Ryan, Thomas T. 
Sasseville, Louis. 
Schwartz, Ardeen. 
Sturff, Frank D. 
Taylor, Harry A. 
Trowbridge, William F. 
Wadden, William S. 
Ward, John A. 
Willard, Harry R. 
Wright, Irving C. 



3io 



Roster 



COMPANY G. 

William Fairweather, Captain. 
George S. Howard, First Lieutenant. 
Gardner "VV. Pearson, Second Lieutenant. 



George H. McNainara. 
Frederic C. M. Silk, lstsergt 
Frank A. Boyle, Q. M. sergt. 



Sergeants. 

William T. Andrews. 
Pearl T. Durrell. 
Murdock McKinnon. 



Fred W. Barris. 
Richard J. Barton. 
Frank Dodge. 
Forrest W. Durant. 
Napoleon E. Fisher. 
Bernard E. French. 



Corporals. 

Wm. E. Golden. 
Daniel M. Hayes. 
Henry E. Hopkins. 
Fred G. Hunton. 
Jeremiah Leary. 
William M. Prescott. 



Andrew J. Cashman, Musician. 
Daniel J. Donovan, Musician. 
Curtin E. Bonham, Artificer. 
Herbert C. Mason, Wagoner. 



Privates. 



Aldrich, Harvey M. 
Baker, Edwin G. 
Barclay, Guy R. 
Boucher, Arthur. 
Bourdon, Arthur A. 
Brackley, Ralph A. 
Brock, George H. 
Bull, Jenbert W. 



Busby, Samuel. 
Caldwell, John A. 
Carley, Bartholomew. 
Chase, Walter R. 
Cheney, Frederick R. 
Ciordan, George A. 
Clifford, Fred H. 
Connelly, John J. 



Roster 



3 11 



Conners, Thomas F. 
Crawford, Joseph. 
Cryan, John P. 
Dane, Charles A. L. 
Delmore, John A. 
Deinange, Levi. 
Dempsey, John W. 
Devine, Joseph P. 
Dewel, Calvin II. 
Donohoe, Dennis J. 
Douohoe, James A. 
Doyle, Thomas W. 
Driscoll, Patrick H. 
Finnegan, John. 
Gair, John J. 
Gannon, John II. 
Garity, Thomas T. 
Gibbons, Richard. 
Goodwin, William J. 
Greene, Frank D. 
Grenier, Armenie H. 
Gnyette, John P. 
Halpin, George W. 
Harmon, George P. 
Harrington, Michael II. 
Hartley, George A. 
Hill, John. 
Howe, Francis G. 
Hunt, William F. 
Iby, Frank M. 
Johnson, Charles C. 
Keville, Peter F. 
LaBounty, Harold. 
Laugell, William II. 



Low, John. 
Maguire, John J. 
Maitrejean, Joseph L. 
McCann, Eugene F. 
McDermott, John J. 
Mervin, William F. 
Miles, Waldo F. 
Mooney, William J. 
Muldoon, Thomas F. 
Munroe, Frank J. 
Murphy, Joseph F. 
Murray, Michael J. 
Noonan, James J. 
O'Brien, John W. 
Pearson, James A. 
Peltier, William N. 
Phillips, Judson A. 
Reay, Thomas. 
Sansom, Joseph. 
Sarvais, Napoleon. 
Spaulding, Charles J. 
Sullivan, Cornelius J. 
Thibeault, Williams. 
Turcoth, Homer L. P. 
Upham, Burton L. 
Wallace, Patrick H. 
Waltham, Ernest. 
Ward, John H. 
Weeks, Forrest T. 
Worthern, Walter E. 
Wroe, John W. 
Young, Eugene E. 
Young, Harold L. 



3 I2 



Roster 



COMPANY H. 

Warren E. Sweetser, Captain. 
George R. Barnstead, First Lieutenant. 
Henry A. Thayer, Second Lieutenant. 



Sergeants. 



John L. Gilson, 1st sergt. 
Arthur N. Newhall, Q. M. 

sergt. 
William I). Desmond. 



Duncan M. Stewart. 
George L. Tabbut. 
Clarke D. Whitemau. 



Marcus F. Ames. 
Ralph H. Barnstead. 
Sumner E. Barnstead. 
George A. Cannell. 
James S. Deacon. 
Charles W. Evans. 



Corporals. 

Robert W. Lowe. 
Frederick W. Miller. 
William F. Poole. 
Patrick J. Scanlou. 
Arthur K. Tabbut. 
Samuel F. Wiggiu. 



Frank A. Wilkius, Musician. 
George B. Williams, Artificer, 
Peter Quiun, Wagoner. 



Privates. 



Ames, Francis C. 
Bagge, George W. 
Barnes, Robert J. 
Bartlett, Ernest M. 
Belyea, Beverly. 
Blades, James W. 
Breagy, William E. 
Burns, John. 



Calhoun, Percy R. 
Camerlin, Henry G. 
Carroll, George F. 
Cass, Albert H. 
Cavanaugh, William F. 
Childs, Melville B. 
Coakley, William P. 
Connolly, Michael J. 




a 

o 

w 



<! 
O 



Roster 



3*5 



Croke, Thomas M. 
Crooker, Winfield S. 
Cutts, Winthrop R. 
Dalton, Michael J. 
Davidson, Thomas F. 
Dewhurst, Dwight D. 
Dillon, Joseph J. 
Dinsmore, Charles F. 
Douglass, George A. 
Forge tte, Henry L. 
Forsythe, George A. B. 
Granville, Elmer. 
Hathaway, Joseph B. 
Hawkes, George W. 
Hermanson, Alfred J. 
Hoey, Eugene F. 
Holden, Walter A. 
Houston, Arthur G. 
Irving, Arthur. 
Jameson, Walter. 
Kallberg, Edwin. 
Kelley, Frederick. 
LaMountain, Walter A. 
Lawrence, Warren G. 
LeDuc, William H. 
MacLeod, George I. 
Malcomson, John A. 
Marr, Edward L. 
Matthews, Frank H. 
McCarthy, Eugene L. 
McClintock, David. 
McCrillis, John W. 
MeDonough, Martin F. 
McGaun, John. 
McGovern, James. 
McKay, Augustus H. 



McPartlen, Felix J. 
Mercer, Henry. 
Merrill, Rufus A. 
Moore, Fred C. 
Morley, Frank E. 
Morrison, Herbert E. 
Mugridge, William F. 
Muller, William P. 
Noonan, Thomas. 
Nutting, John II. 
Ogilvie, Walter W. 
O'Niel, Denis E. 
Patch, Claude E. 
Patterson, Frederick C. 
Payne, George R. 
Peavey, Edgar M. 
Rabbitt, Michael C. 
Robinson, Ralph C. 
Ronco, William E. 
Scanlon, John W. 
Shaw, Edward B. 
Sicord, Armand V. 
Smalley, Edward B. 
Smith, William H. 
Stevens, Chester H. 
Turnbull, Charles H. 
Turner, Harry A. 
Twitchell, James H. 
Walker, John J. 
Warren, Leon E. 
Wheelock, Frank R. 
Wilkins, Fred L. 
Willson, George L. 
Wright, Gilbert. 
Young, Edwin J. 



316 



Roster 



COMPANY I. 

Cyrus H. Cook, Captain. 

Joseph S. Hart, First Lieutenant. 

William N. Decker, Second Lieutenant. 



Sergeants. 



Francis T. Jackson, 1st sergt. 
John W. Hagerty, 2d sergt. 
James N. Berry, Q- M. sergt. 



James H. Tolmau. 
Theodore L. Smith. 
George P. Hagerty. 



John C. Anderson. 
Charles M. Byron. 
James W. Byron. 
Philip A. Davis. 
Charles F. Golder. 
Frank A. Haines. 
William H. Hill. 



Corporals. 

Ralph P. Hosmer. 
Willard Hunt. 
Arthur J. Leger. 
Thomas F. Lyons. 
Dennis A. Sheehan. 
Roy S. Whitcomb. 



Philip M. Emmott, Musician. 
Charles F. Foreman, Musician. 
George M. Lee, Artificer. 
Edward Giblin, Wagoner. 
William A. Lakin, Wagoner. 



Adams, George E. 
Algeo, George B. 
Algeo, Jr., John O. 
Anderson, John C. 
Armstrong, Arthur W. 
Bent, Samuel E. 
Blodgett, William II. 
Brooks, Wallace M. 
Burns, Edward. 



Privates. 

Collins, William T. 
Corrigan, James. 
Cronin, Marcus. 
Cutler, Orville I. 
Dakin, Alburtus L. 
Daniels, Ernest N. 
Day, Alvin. 
Dubrey, Joseph. 
Dusseault, Clarence. 




Captain Cyrus H. Cook. 



Roster 



3 l 9 



Flaherty, Martin F. 
Flannery, John J. 
Flannery, Michael J. 
Ford, Frederick H. 
Forrest, George A. 
Fuller, Percy W. 
Gage, Charles P. 
Geoffrion, Felix J. 
Greenough, Hanie S. 
Hagerty, James P. 
Ilanley, John J. 
Hansen, Albiu J. 
Hart, Charles A. 
Hart, William A. 
Hayes, Joseph B. 
Haynes, Josiah B. 
Hennessey, William J. 
Hildeburn, William L. 
Ireland, Frank F. 
Jones, Daniel W. 
Kelleher, John J. 
Kerry, Horace C. 
King, Albert W. 
King, George G. 
Knowlton, Arthur G. 
Losaw, Alexander. 
Lowe, William L. 
Lynch, Thomas. 
Maines, Robert C. 
Manion, Thomas J. 
Marsden, Fred H. 
Miner, Charles E. 
Moller, Joseph V. 



Moore, Albert E. 
Mclnnis, Angus. 
Miller, John. 
Newvine, Alexander. 
Nickerson, Alfred F. 
Noon an, Maurice M. 
Olsen, John. 
Owen, Herbert W. 
Parkinson, Edward T. 
Penniman, Frank W. 
Pike, Frank B. 
Powers, James L. 
Prescott, Frank N. 
Richardson, Llewellen C. 
Robbins, William P. 
Rodan, George O. 
Saunders, Harry G. 
Siinonds, Frank. 
Sohier, Walter. 
Souther, Howard B. 
Thompson, Charles F. 
Todd, Jr., Thomas. 
Tuttle, Fred L. 
Tuttle, John B. 
Tuttle, Walter A. 
Webber, Charles E. 
White, Thomas F. 
Whiting, William E. 
Whitney, Charles H. 
Winn, George P. 
Wood. Oliver I). 
Worthley, Harry R. 



3 20 



Roster 



COMPANY K. 

Frank E. Gray, Captain. 

Newton E. Putney, First Lieutenant. 

William P. La Croix, Second Lieutenant. 

Sergeants. 

William F. Lee, 1st sergt. 1 George E. Reed. 

Frank A. Herron, Q. M. sergt. I Clarence G. Shippee. 



Harry H. Msdzker. 
Robert E. Putney. 



Frank M. Witherell. 



Frank E. Bonuette. 
George E. Bridgett. 
James E. Clements. 
Henry Gary. 
William Groeneudyke. 
James A. Hio'snus. 



Corporals. 

Louis P. Holman. 
John S. Norman. 
John A. Peterson. 
Justus A. Plimpton. 
Joseph Reno. 
Geor2,e H. Sayles. 



Ernest Clauson, Artificer. 
Thomas Grady, Bugler. 



Privates. 



Acton, Martin G. 
Allard, Narciss. 
Alton, William R. 
Baker, Edwin E. 
Belanger, Autoene. 
Benoit, James J. 
Bird, George W. 
Bouthillette, Joseph. 
Breen, Edward J. 



Butman, Lucian G. 
Caplett, John. 
Carpenter, Frank E. 
Chapdelaine, Albert. 
Collins, Joseph F. 
Condon, William J. 
Coughlan, John. 
Dougan, Russell C. 
Drennan, Arthur. 



Roster 



321 



Drummond, James. 
Ducbarme, Joseph. 
Durand, Philip. 
Egau, George E. 
English, William J. 
Ennis, John M. 
Fisk, Frank N. 
Fitzpatrick, Michael F. 
Flood, Thomas M. 
Ford, William F. 
Galipean, Omer. 
Garceau, Napoleon. 
Garvey, John F. 
Gelineau, Fred N. 
Gerbev, Paul. 
Gray, Everett T. 
Hickey, Patrick. 
Hopwood, Christopher. 
Johanson, John. 
Kenney, James. 
Kennedy, James P. 
Kenworthy, John T. 
King, Joseph. 
Kosmaler, Henry J. 
Laplant, Peter. 
Laprade, Hemy. 
Lowdon, Fred. 
McGregor, Charles E. 
Maher, Timothy. 
Maloney, Dennis. 
Maloney, James. 
Mandigo, Adelbert. 
Martin, Albert C. 
Mason, David. 



McGill, William. 
McGuiuness, William. 
Mcintosh, George J. 
Mexfield, Joseph. 
Mominee, Alexander. 
Moran, William F. 
Morrissey, Lawrence T. 
Murtha, Thomas II. 
Nagle, Joseph M. 
Owens, John A. 
Paguin, Alexander J. 
Pelognin, Peter. 
Peltier, Paul N. 
Phaneuf, Napoleon. 
Plimpton, Henry E. 
Preston, Clarence L. 
Reinhard, Walter E. 
Kheaume, Emery. 
Ryan, James T. 
Schur, Fred. 
Shea, William J. 
Smith, Myron M. 
Stanik, William P. 
St. John, Alcide. 
Stone, James. 
Tremblay, Jr., Julius. 
Tromblay, Frank. 
Vinton, George H. 
Vinton, George W. 
Ware, Ernest L. 
Welch, Martin. 
Wheelock, Warren T. 
Wood, Allen L. 
Wood, Lindsay. 



21 



3 22 



Roster 



COMPANY L. 

"William J. Williams, Captain. 
William II. Jackson, First Lieutenant. 
George W. Braxton, Second Lieutenant. 



Sergeants. 



Luther A. Dandridge, 1st sgt. 
Frank E. Turpi n, Q. M. sgt. 
Harry H. O. Burwell. 



William B. Gould. 
James E. Jordan, Jr. 
G. W. Watson. 



William S. Carpenter. 
William E. Carter, Jr., 
Charles F. Chandler. 
George W. Floyd. 
James W. B. Hawkins. 
Joseph G. Holmes. 



Corporals. 

Prince A. Jones. 
George W. Landers. 
William W. Oxley. 
Ilolman J. Pryor. 
William H. Saunders. 
Walter J. Stevens. 



James II. Moore. Musician. 
William S. Washington, Musician. 
Samuel I). Bradley, Artificer. 
George F. Seamon, Wagoner. 



Prirates. 



Akins, Edgar D. 
Allen, William B. 
Andrews, Joseph C. 
Ball, Charles II. 
Betts, George R. 
Bostic, Benjamin F. 
Brannon, George P. 
Brooks, Robert W. 



Buckner, Louis. 
Cannon, Oliver B. 
Chisolm, Frank 11. 
Davis, Reuben J. 
Day. Jeremiah B. 
Dennis, George A. 
Dewey. Edward G. 
Duff us, Samuel L. 




Captain W. J. Williams. 
1st Lt. W. II. Jackson. 2d Lt. G. W. Braxton. 



Roster 



3 2 5 



Dunbar, Lewis E. 
Fletcher, Thomas S. 
Franklin, George II. 
Freeman, Ulysses G. 
Gaskins, Alfred IT. 
Gorings, Jacob H. 
Gordon, George H. 
Gordon, Robert E. 
Gray, John S. 
Green, Milton. 
Griltin, Reuben J. 
Harding, Edward. 
Harding, Thomas S. 
Harrison, Lawrence O. 
Hodges, Thomas P. B. 
Holden, Charles S. 
Irons, William PI. 
Jackson, Frank P. 
Jackson, John W. 
Jones, Charles M. 
Jones, George W. 
Jordau, Arthur E. 
Johnson, William H. 
Kelly. Bernard. 
Kenswil, Ernest A. 
Knox, Elijah H. 
Lee, Theodore W. 
Lewis, Jerome T. 
Mahone, George B. 
Maynard, Clarence L. 
McCarty, James H. 
McClenuey, John L. 
Moore, James A. 
Monroe, Henry N. 



Morandus, Joseph. 
Pate, William. 
Perkins, Marc A. 
Phillips, James A. 
Phillips, Raymond L. 
Rickson, William L. 
Riley, John E. 
Robinson, Charles W. 
Shaw, Archibald W. 
Sidney, John D. 
Smith, Charles A. 
Smith, Charles S. 
Smith, Fred. W. 
Spriggs, Arthur H. 
Stewart, Charles S. 
Stewart, William D. 
Stokes, Edward C. 
Thomas, Edward E. 
Thompson, James A. 
Tillmon, John J. 
Tolson, Harry W. 
Tynes, Edward C. 
Twist, James P. 
Vandyke, Richard. 
Washington, George. 
Wheaton, Horace F. 
Williams, Eugene P. 
Williams, Frank J. 
Williams, Oliver J. 
Wilson, Fred. C. 
AVilson, George L. 
Wilson, William H. 
Winfield, Peter J. 
Woolfolk, Carroll H. 



326 



Roster 



COMPANY M. 

John F. Barrett, Captain. 
Freeman L. Smith, First Lieutenant. 
Arthur J. Draper, Second Lieutenant. 



Sergeants. 

Stanley Donahue, 1st sergt. Warren S. Day, 
George A. Wilcox, Q.M.sergt. James Furse. 
William W. Conner. A. B. Trask. 



Frank L. Arnold. 
Edwin J. Bennett. 
Samuel B. Bradner. 
Herbert B. Briggs. 
Harry B. Chesmore. 
Frederick Croto. 



Corporals. 



John E. Donnelly. 
Arthur B. Edmands. 
Fred Gaskill. 
Willard G-. Speirs. 
Robert M. Trask. 



Mark Bentley, Musician. 
Alfred R. Day, Musician. 
Benjamin S. Allen, Artificer. 
Edward W. Howe, Wagoner. 



Privates. 



Adams, Harry L. 
Arrand, William B. 
Arrand, David K. 
Barrows, Fred S. 
Bartlett, Harry S. 
Bellimeur, Charles. 
Brownell, Elmer F. 
Callahan, Charles P. 
Carbone, Anthony J. 



Cheney, Harry B. 
Chesmore, Otis 0. 
Conway, Frank. 
Cook, Richard H. 
Corcoran, John T. 
Corcoran, Timothy J. 
Cosman, Richard A. 
Cronan, Dennis P. 
Crowell, Earnest. 




2d Lieut. Arthur J. Draper. 



Roster 



3 2 9 



Crowley, William. 
Day, Alfred K. 
Doremus, John. 
Dwyer, John J. 
English, Martin E. 
Fisher, Charles H. 
Fiske, Alfred E. 
Foley, Lawrence F. 
French, Carl H. 
French, Paul T. 
Frink, Alfred B. 
Gaft'ney, John F. 
Gerstner, John F. 
Gihnore, Walter A. 
Gorman, David W. 
Gorman, Henry P. 
Greene, Harry F. 
Iladdican, Thomas. 
Hansis, George. 
Hanson, Edward. 
Hogan, Michael. 
Hollis, James H. 
Hunter, Lloyd F. 
Ingram, George W. 
Johnson, Charles E. 
Karle, Charles E. 0. 
Kelly, Patrick. 
Kenny, Clarence F. 
Lalley, Jr., James L. 
Lynch, Edward J. 
Lynch, Edward T. 
Macuen, Millard J. 
Mahoney, Jeremiah. 
Martin, Daniel II. 



Martin, John C. 
Martin, John J. 
Mathewson, John I). 
.Mayor, Fred F. 
McCarter, Fred I). 
McHugh, James. 
McKay, James W. 
McKeuna, Daniel F. 
McMahon, Charles. 
McMahon, Dennis F. 
Morrissey, James M. 
Morse, Eugene C. L. 
Mulvey, Edward N. 
Patridge, Charles G-. 
Rabbit, Thomas V. 
Regan, John II. 
Shea, John F. 
Short, Walter L. 
Sidley, John II. 
Slattery, James A. 
Smith, Edward F. 
Smith, Henry L. 
Smith, Martin W. 
Staples, Herbert. 
Steele, Walter C. 
Stratton, Eugene F. 
Sullivan, John J. 
Sweeney, Henry. 
Wehinger, Laurence. 
Wilkinson, Arthur L. 
Willis, Harry E. 
Wood, Charles B. 
Wright, George. 




There 's xo Place like Home. 



3ln £©cmorfam 



Heroes are born, not made Inj war, 

Or daring in the fight. 
The man 's the hero, war 's but chance 

To bring that fact to light. 
Chance came to .some through fell disease, 

To some in battle's strife. 
Hero 's the title due to all 

Who thus surrendered life. 



5Fn 2©cmoriam 



B 



m 



m 



3=* 




Charles F. Parker, corporal, was born in Wakefield, 
Mass., July 8, 1872, his parents being Warren S. Parker 
and Sarah A. Loring. 

He attended the schools of his native town, and graduated 
from the High School with high honors. 

In early youth he showed a decided military tendency, and 
was an officer in the high school battalion. 

At the age of 18 he enlisted in Company A, 6th M. V. M, 
and continued in the Militia until he entered the volunteer 
list of the same company to serve during the war. He was 
detailed on the " colors" until he was changed to the Regi- 
mental Post Office, where he proved a valued assistant up to 
the time of his sickness. 

His premature death, and burial at sea, made a sad and 
lasting impression on his comrades. 

Corporal Parker was an officer who was much respected 
by all his comrades-in-arms. 

Myris H. Warren was born in Vassalboro, Maine, June 
11, 18GG, and was the son of Edwin A. Warren of Vassalboro 
and Mary E. New of Nantucket. He graduated from the 
Luther V. Bell school of Somerville, Mass., after which lie 
learned and worked at the carpenter trade. 



33 6 



In Memoriam 



He was a member of Company A, 6th M. V. M., nearly 
four years when the call came to arms, and volunteered with 
the original number to go forth to serve his country. 

Private Warren came of a military family, his father hav- 
ing served with distinction in the war of the Rebellion. 

His great-grandfather entered the patriot army at the be- 
ginning of the Revolution and took part in the battle of 
Bunker Hill. Private Warren was detailed, early in the 
campaign, to the Commissary Department, and performed all 
his laborious duties in an exemplary manner. 

He was buried at Ayres Junction with full military honors. 

George Tyler Cutting, private, was born in Palmer, 
Mass., Aug. 7, 1874, and spent the first years of his life there, 
removing in 1880 with his parents to Clinton. 

Three years later he made Lowell his home, where he 
entered the public schools, remaining until he was twelve 
years of age, when he returned to Clinton where he finished 
his studies in" the public schools. After being employed for 
some years in the Bigelow Carpet Co. works of Clinton, he 
accepted a position as a finisher in the Jewett piano factory 
of Leominster. 

Private Cutting comes of a race of warriors, his grand- 
father being a veteran of the Civil War, while his great- 
grandfather was a soldier of the war of LSI 2. 

The funeral of Private Cutting took place at South Lan- 
caster, attended by his company, Company B of Fitchburg, 
who contributed beautiful floral pieces. 

With the natural love of life of youth, when sick in the 
hospital at Utuado he said one day, "I pray to God that I 
may not die; " but when the time came to meet the inevi- 
table his last words were, "It is all right." 

George C. Wendex, sergeant, was born at Tewksbury, 
Mass., June 17, 1870. His military career began Feb. 8, 
1888, being mustered in as a private of Company C, 6th 




Charles F. Parkee, 
Corporal, Co. A. 

George Tyler Cutting, 
Private, Co. B. 



Myris II. Wabeen, 
Private, Co. A. 

George C. Wenden, 
Sergeant, Co. C. 



In Memoriam 339 

Regiment M. V. M. On May 28, 1890, lie was appointed a 
corporal. On May 6, 1891, lie was made a sergeant, which 
position he held until 1897, when he joined the Ambulance 
Corps. He was immediately afterwards appointed sergeant, 
and went with them to South Framingham on the first call ; 
but the services of the Ambulance Corps not being accepted 
by the Government, and wishing to put to some practical 
use the knowledge that nine years of military training had 
given him, he enlisted in Company C, on July 1, 1898, and 
was immediately made quartermaster sergeant of the same 
company. He performed his duties faithfully and conscien- 
tiously, and it was his excessive thoughtfulness in the interesl 
of the men that caused the sickness which led to his death. 
He was taken sick soon after landing, and in hopes for his 
recovery was ordered home. He died while on board the 
Hospital Boat " Relief " August 18, 1898, and was buried the 
same day at sea. 

Herbert C. Bellamy, corporal, was born at Lowell, 
Mass., July 16, 1876. He enlisted as a private in Company 
C, 6th Regiment M. V. M., August 21, 1895. When the 6th 
Regiment was called into service, he volunteered and was 
mustered into the service May 12, 1898, being appointed a 
corporal on the same day. Until the time of his sickness, 
which lasted about two weeks, he was with the Company on 
all its marches, taking all conditions without murmuring, and 
being regarded by both officers and men as one of the besl 
non-commissioued officers in the Company- He died at 
Utuado, Porto Rico, on Sept. 7, 1898, and was buried the 
same day with full military honors just outside of the native 
Porto Ricaii burial ground at Utuado. 

Among the first men to enlist when recruits were called 
for in Fitchburg was John J. Delaxey, who bad come to 
this country from Kilkenny County, Ireland, in 1*7*. at 
seven years of age. Always trustworthy, he lilled different 



340 I n Memoriam 



positions, being employed by the Hart & Shay Plumbing 
Co., when the war broke out. His death, which occurred 
Dec. 8, 1898, at the Burbank Hospital, was the first break 
from the ranks of Company D. The service in commemora- 
tion of his death was held in St. Bernard's Catholic Church, 
Fitchburg, and was conducted with all the dignity, impres- 
siveness, and solemnity of the usage of that church. The 
large attendance and the elaborate floral offerings made 
testify to the high esteem in which Private Delany was held 
in the community. Father Feehan, who conducted the ser- 
vice, said: " I wish I might rehearse his virtues; he is our 
offering to our country. Thank God, he is the only one yet, 
but, if there are to be others, they will be ready. He was a 
boy of our own parish, taught in our Sunday school and our 
parish school, and well we recall his retiring nature, his gentle 
humility of character, and virtue which burned in his heart. 
When the call came, he accepted it. He went in the bloom 
of his youth to offer all he had for his country and for his 
country's flag. This he did that his country might live. 
"We glory in this to-day aud honor him." 

Private William A. Chute, Company D, died August 24, 
at Ponce, P. R. 

Corporal Clarence H. Warren, Company E, died August 
26, at Brooklyn, N. Y. 

William E. Walters, sergeant, was born in South Fram- 
ingham, November 6, 1870, and passed nearly all his life 
there, being educated in the Framingham schools and gradu- 
ating from the High School in '89. After graduating he 
learned the printer's trade in the oflice of the " Framingham 
Gazette," when he accepted a position on the " Framing- 
ham Tribune." Later he removed to Plymouth, where for 
three years he was employed in the office of the ' ' Old Colony 
Memorial." At the time of his enlistment he was with the 
Dennison Manufacturing Co. 




Herbert C. Bellamy, 
Corporal, Co. C. 

William E. Walters, 
Sergeant, Co. E. 



John J. Delaney, 
Private, Co. D. 



In Memoriam 343 

"William Walters joined the State Militia in May, L896, and 
was mustered into the U. S. service May, 1898, as sergeant 
of Company E, Gth Massachusetts, U. S. V. lie was a 
faithful soldier throughout the Porto Rican campaign, not 
being sick until the 26th of September, when he went to the 
hospital in Utuado. He was taken to Arecibo and sailed from 
there on the " Bay State " on the 22d of October. He grew 
rapidly worse, and died in the storm off Cape Hatteras on 
the 26th of October. His body was brought to Boston and 
buried with military honors at Edged Grove Cemetery, 
Framingham, on Sunday, October 30. 

He leaves a wife and two children, one a boy of five years, 
the other a baby girl whom the father did not live to see. 

The "South Framingham Evening News "says: "In a 
nutshell Sergeant Walters was a good boy, a fine soldier, 
and was all right." 

The great number of floral tributes at his funeral testify 
to his worth and the high place he held in the hearts of his 
friends. 

Edward F. McGrath was born in Natick, Mass., March 

30, 1874, where he lived until he was three years of age, 
when his family moved to Nobscot, Mass., where he continued 
to live until his enlistment in the Gth Mass. U. S. V., in 
1898. 

At twelve years of age he entered the Framingham gram- 
mar school, where he remained until graduation, when he 
accepted a position as clerk. Later he was employed at the 
Nobscot Spring. 

His genial manner and kindly actions surrounded him with 
hosts of friends, with whom he was always popular. June 
20, 1898, he enlisted and served throughout the campaign 
with the Gth Regiment, returning from Porto Rico on the 
"Mississippi," where he was first taken ill with typhoid 
fever. 

On arriving at Boston he was taken to the Franiiusham 



344 I n Memoriam 



Hospital, where he died Nov. 7, 1898, surrounded by his 
family. 

The large number of floral offerings, and the many who 
attended his funeral, testify to the high esteem in which he 
was held. 

He was buried at St. George's Cemetery, Saxouville, Mass., 
Nov. 10, 1898. 

Willis H. Page, artificer, Company F, Marlboro, died on 
board the " Lampassas," August 4, and was buried at sea. 

Ernest D. Marshall, private, of Company F, Marlboro, 
died July 27th of typhoid, on board the l * Lampassas," and 
was buried at Guanica. 

Jonx 0. Cole, private, Company F, Marlboro, died at 
his home in Marlboro, December 9, of consumption, and was 
buried with full military honors. 

Private John Otis Cole was born in Marlboro, August 1G, 
1876, and was educated in the public schools of that city. 

As a boy he was reserved and quiet, developing early a 
distinct talent for electricity, to which he devoted his time 
in preference to athletics, or the usual amusements of boys. 
To those only who knew him best was the depths of his 
nature revealed. At early manhood he had become a skilled 
electrician. 

In January, 1894, he became a member of Company F, 
Gth Massachusetts Regiment, and received an honorable dis- 
charge in May, 1895. But when the President called for 
volunteers, he was among the first to respond, entering 
again Company F of Marlboro. 

He served in the electrical department of the signal corps 
at Camp Alger, rejoining his company before it left for 
Porto Rico. The change of climate began to tell on his 
health during the voyage, and he was more or less confined 
to the hospital during the following weeks until the arrival of 
the "Bay State," when he returned, arriving in Massachu- 




Yillis H. Page, 


Ernest D. Marshall, 


Artificer, Co. F. 


Private, Co. F. 


John 0. Cole, 


Leon E. Warren, 


Private, Co. F. 


Private, Co. H. 



In Mcmoriam 347 

setts on the 27th of September. After spending six weeks 
at the Massachusetts General Hospital, he was taken home, 
where after alternately rallying and growing worse, he passed 
away on the 9th of December. As one who knew him in- 
timately said : "In his death Marlboro sustained the loss of 
one of her noblest sons," and of him it might also be said, 
'• Were all for whom he did a kind act to bring a blossom 
to his grave, there would be no dearth of flowers to mark the 
spot where sleeps an honored citizen and a true soldier." 

Louis Sasseyille, private of Company F. Marlboro, died 
at his home, Marlboro, December 30, of heart disease ; 
buried with full military honors, January 2, 1899. 

Leon E. Warren, private, son of Alby J. and Elvira E. 
Warren, was born in Stowe, Mass., March 13, 1879. 

When quite young his parents moved to Winchester, 
Mass., where he began his education in the public schools of 
that town. At the age of sixteen he finished his education at 
a private school in Stoneham, and went to work for Copeland 
& Bowser, Stoneham ; leaving that firm to enter the employ of 
the McKay Machine Co. of Winchester. lie worked about 
a year for these two firms, at different times assisting his 
father at the mason's trade. After severing his connections 
with the McKay Machine Co., he started to learn the plum- 
ber's trade, but had not completed his apprenticeship when 
his company was called to arms. 

Previous to his enlistment in the U. S. service he had been 
a member of Company H, 6th Massachusetts, for about a 
year and five months. 

He was an enthusiastic member, and when the call came 
he enlisted with his company, as his father did in the Civil 
War. 

He proved to be a faithful and obedient soldier, doing 
whatever duty was assigned to him cheerfully and well ; 
always ready to assist a comrade in every way possible 

23 



34« 



In Memoriam 



He probably contracted typhoid fever at Falls Church, 
Va. , near Camp Alger, where his company did ten days' 
provost duty. He was sent to the First Division Hospital, 
June 21, and was transferred to the U. S. General Hospital 
at Fort Myer, June 25. His condition was such that in 
spite of the excellent care he received, his life could not be 
saved, and he died the following day, Sunday, June 26, at 
5 p.m. 

Leon E. Warren was the first man of the 6th Massachu- 
setts Volunteers to give up his life in the Spanish-American 
War, and he gave it as nobly and just as freely as did those 
members of the old 6th in the war of '61. 

Ralph Prescott Hosmer, corporal, of Company I, 6th 
Massachusetts, U. S. V., was born in Concord, Massachu- 
setts, May 25, 1877, and died in Utuado, Porto Pico, 
September 11, 1898. That Ralph Hosmer was found 
amongst the first volunteers in the Spanish- American War 
surprised no one who knew his ancestry, — a boy whose 
great-great-grandfather was Joseph Hosmer, Adjutant of 
Colonel Barrett's regiment of Minute Men and a participant 
in the Concord fight of April 19, 1875 ; whose father was a 
veteran of the Civil War, a member of the company of 
volunteers which left Concord April 19, 1861, who was 
taken prisoner at the first battle of Bull Run, dying eventu- 
ally of sickness contracted in Libby Prison. 

Previous to the breaking out of the war, he had served in 
Company I, 6th Regiment United States militia, about three 
and a half years, during the two latter of which he was a 
corporal. He was the second of three sons of Cyrus and 
Anna E. Hosmer. He was employed at the Old Colony 
Trust Company of Boston when he enlisted, and was senior 
corporal in Company I. 

George Edward Adams, private, Company I, 6th Mass- 
achusetts U. S. V., born in Providence, R. I., April 13, 1878, 
died in Utuado, Porto Rico, Oct. 10, 1898. 




Ralph Prescott Hosmer. 
Corporal, Co. I. 

Charles Abraham Hart, 
Private, Co. I. 



George Edward Adams, 
Private, < ... I. 

George Henry S wr.i -, 
Corp. mil. Co. K. 



In Memoriam j : , 



Private Adams was a resident of Waltham, Mass., being 

employed as a hotel clerk in the city of Boston until the 
time of his enlistment in (apt. Cyrus II. Cook's Company 
I, 6th Massachusetts Regiment of 1 . S. Volunteers. He 
was mustered into the United States service on June 17, 
1898, at Concord, Mass., by Capt. Cyrus II. Cook, and 
joined the company at Camp Russell A. Alger, Falls Church, 
Virginia, on June 27, 1898. Private Adams was the only son 
of Frank Adams of Waltham, Mass., having done no pre- 
vious military service. 

Private Adams was detailed as special hospital nurse in 
Utuado, Porto Rico, where he did faithful and efficient 
service. He here contracted typhoid fever, which terminated 
fatally after an illness of one month. 

Charles Abraham Hart, son of Charles S. Hart. Deputy 
Superintendent of the Massachusetts Reformatory at (un- 
cord, was born in Springfield, Mass., Sept. 30, 1881, and 
enlisted in Company I, 6th Massachusetts Infantry, on 
Bunker Hill Day, June 17, 1898. A member of the Concord 
High School at the time of his enlistment, and only sixteen 
years of age. Joining the company with his elder brother, 
William A. Hart, who was eighteen, he went with his regi- 
ment to foreign service. 

Upon arrival at Porto Rico "Carl" entered the hospital 
service to care for his brother, who had been stricken with 
typhoid fever. His brother's return to this country on a 
hospital ship left the young lad alone in that distant land. 
He was separated for weeks from his regiment, wmking 
hard and faithfully in the hospital among the sick ; a fav- 
orite with Major Dow and Lieutenant Cross, with whom he 
worked, because of his unswerving attention to duty. 

But hardships on the "Yale," weary hours with the sick, 
long marches, and climatic conditions at last told on the 
superb young body, and thus when he was finally attacked 
with the dread typhoid he fell an easy victim. He passed 



2 52 In Memonam 

away on the 26th of September, four days before his 
seventeenth birthday. His body was brought home with 
his regiment on the transport " Mississippi," and buried 
with military honors in the far-famed and beautiful Sleepy 
Hollow Cemetery in Old Concord. 

He was a lover of nature, and pre-eminent in all manly 
sports, a member of the Union Church at Concord, and presi- 
dent of the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor 
connected with his church. He died beloved and deeply 
mourned by all with whom he was associated. 

George Henry Sayles, corporal. To the unnumbered 
heroes who have freely and joyously given life for their 
native land, their country owes a debt greater than can be 
measured in words or can ever be known. Such a hero was 
George Henry Sayles, born in Southbridge July 2, 187(3. 
He attended the public schools, and Dudley Academy ; 
while a child, was always playing soldier. When seventeen 
he joined the Southbridge militia, unknown to his parents. 
His father took him out, but he said that when he was 
twenty-one he would join again. This purpose he carried 
out, was soon promoted to corporal, and was the first 
one to sign his name to enlist, when the war with Spain 
broke out. 

He went to Porto Rico with the company, and was in 
the battle of Guanica. His friend and constant companion, 
Serjeant C. G. Shippee, who was near him in the fight, says 
of him " he was a fearless soldier, never excited, but always 
acting with promptness, and as a corporal set an example 
that any soldier should be proud to follow." Though not 
wounded by bullets, he was injured by cactus thorns, due 
to his pressing down the bushes in front of his men, doing- 
it to save them from the poisonous spikes. This necessi- 
tated his going to the hospital for a short time. About 
September 1. he was taken with typhoid fever, from which 
he died at Fortress Monroe, Virginia, Oct. 28, 1898. 




Martin Welch, 
Private, Co. K. 

John E. Riley, 
Private, Co. L. 



Chahles Edwakd RIcGkegor, 
Private, < !o. K. 

P \ rmi k Kelly, 
Private, < 'o. ftl. 



In Memoriam i : - 

His letters home were always full of the warmesl affection 
to his mother and all the rest at home, of trusl in God, and 
devotion to duty, never a word of complaint. The lasl 
words written home (October 18) were : " Love to all, and a 
big share for yourself and pa. Cod bless us all." lb- was 
promoted to sergeant, but owing to his sickness was unable 
to act as such. 

Martin Welch, private. He was born in Sonthbridge, 
Mass., in 1865, and was a son of Mr. and ."Mrs. Thomas 
Welch, who are among the oldest inhabitants of the town 

After graduating from the public school, he was employed 
in the Hamilton Print Works, afterwards in the American 
Optical Glass Works, until he enlisted. Although not a 
member of the local company, never having taken any 
interest in the militia, he, like many other patriotic young 
men, recognized his country's call, and responded courage- 
ously. He was stricken before leaving Camp Alger for 
Porto Rico, and the fatal fever quickly brought his life to 
a close. 

He was buried in Arlington Cemetery, Washington, D. ( '.. 
and through some unfortunate mistake no notice of his 
death was received by his parents, and nothing was known 
of it until a month after his burial, when they learned the 
sad fact, and had his remains brought home and buried in 
the family plot, with military honors, Aug. 24, 1898. 

Charles Edward McGregor was born in Eastport, 
Maine, Nov. 13, 18(37, and came to Marlboro, Mass., in 
June, 1888, where he was married in July, 1892. 

He had formerly been a member of Company I", 6th 
Regiment, but when the war broke out he was living a1 
Fanenil, working at his trade as a gas-fitter, when he 
enlisted May 6, at Southbridge, as a member of Company 
K, of Southbridge. After reaching Camp Alger he was 
transferred to the hospital corps. 



35& 



In Memoriam 



When the regiment left for Porto Rico, he accompanied 
it, taking part in the battle of Guauica, and marching with 
the regiment to Ponce. 

Later malarial fever attacked him, and he was in the 
hospital for nearly a month, when he was sent home on the 
hospital ship "Bay State," reaching Boston September 27. 
He was transferred to the Massachusetts General Hospital, 
where he was furloughed the same day, and taken to his 
father's home (Charles W. McGregor), at Marlboro. 

Typhoid soon developed, aud on October 6 he was 
taken to the hospital in South Framingham, where he died 
Sunday evening, October 9, aged 30 years, 11 months, and 
26 days, leaving a widow and two children. Charles Mc- 
Gregor was a member of the Immannel Baptist Church of 
Newton. The interment was at Eastport, Maine. 

John E. Riley, the only member lost from Company L, 
was born on Endicott Street, North End, in 18G2, being 37 
years of age, a son of the first colored coachman ever in 
Boston. His father died when he was but three years old, his 
mother when he was but seventeen years of age. Before enlist- 
ing he was employed by A. Shuman, although he had passed 
the examination for fireman of the Boston fire department, 
but was at that time disqualified on account of his color. 

He was educated at the Phillips Grammar School, and was 
an honored member of the Knight of the World Lodge of 
Good Templars. 

He was amongst the first volunteers in Company L, when 
the call for recruits was sounded. 

He was married about twelve years ago to Miss Eliza 
Beatrice McClellan, who survives him. 

Patrick Kelly was born in Tyrone. Ireland, on St. 
Patrick's Day, 1865, and began his martial life at the age 
of fifteen by entering the English army, where he served 
eight years, six of which were spent in India. He was 




Paul T. French, 
Private, Co. M. 

Arthur L. Wilkinson, 
Private, Co. M. 



Asa B. Trask, 



Charles E. Johnson, 
Private, Co. M. 



In Memorium 2$Q 

discharged in 1888 at his own request, in order to sail for 
this country with his young wife. In L895, he settled in 
Milford, and was employed in the machine Bhops in ( >akdale, 
joining Company M, 6th Regiment, in 1896, of which he was 
a member until the time of his death, volunteering his ser- 
vices with the company in the Spanish-American Wax. He 
returned with the regiment on the "Mississippi" from Porto 
Rico, reaching Milford, October 26, apparently well. Only 
a few days after, however, he was taken suddenly ill with 
typhoid, and after a short illness died at his home, Novem- 
ber 27. He was buried witli martial lienors in Milford, 
Mass., Nov. 30, 1898. 

On November G a memorial service was held at Oak- 
dale, Mass., for Private Paul T. French, of Company M, 
6th Massachusetts, U. S. V., attended by his company. Paul 
French enlisted in the company April 5, '98, and joined il 
at Camp Alger the 17th of June, a volunteer in the United 
States service. Going to Porto Rico with the regiment, lie 
took part in the only battle fought by the regiment at Guan- 
ica. afterwards being detailed as guard at General Garret- 
son's headquarters, where he remained until Augusl 19. 

On October 11, he was reported sick, being transferred 
to the hospital ship ''Bay State" on the 19th, but was not 
considered seriously ill. He failed rapidly and died < October 
24, thirty-six hours out of port, and was buried at sea. 

In a letter written during the summer to his mother, he 
said : " He who watches over us in times of peace will watch 
over us in time of war, and we will leave it all to Him who 
knows best. Hold up your heads and be proud of us, for 
we will be true soldiers." 

Asa B. Trask, sergeant, was born in Yarmouth, X. S., 
Oct. 24, 1876, and came to Milford in 1887. lie began 
his military career by joining Company M, December 7. 
1894, and was mustered into the State service April •">. 1 
He received his first promotion on Nov. ft. 1897, when 



3 6o 



In Memoriam 



he was made a corporal, in which capacity he served until 
May 6, 1898, when he was appointed sergeant and was 
mustered into the United States service in that grade May 
13. "While in Camp Alger, Va., he several times took com- 
mand of the company while at drill. He shared in all the 
marches, and was usually right guide of Company M. At 
Adjuntas, after a long, hard march over the highest moun- 
tain road in Porto Rico, he seemed completely tired out and 
complained of a bad headache, and the following afternoon 
was sent to the 6th Massachusetts Hospital, where he grew 
steadily worse each day until his death, Aug. 23, 1898. 
He was buried at Adjuntas by the Hospital Corps, his regi- 
ment being then at Utuado. 

Arthur L. Wilkinson was born in Winchendon, Mass., 
June 19, 1877. In 1885, he removed to Springfield. He 
Avas employed early in life as a bell boy, and worked in a 
cycle shop, later driving the stage at Spofford Springs. 

In June, 1898, he went to Milford, Mass., to visit his 
grandfather, A. L. "Wilkinson, when he decided to join Com- 
pany M of that cit} T , having a brother already in the United 
States Navy. He joined Company M, 6th Massachusetts, 
U. S. Y., at Camp Alger, Va., June 21, 1898, and accom- 
panied the regiment on the "Yale" off Santiago, and went 
to Guanica, Porto Pico, and was with the company on the 
Yauco road. On the marches he was unusually strong, and 
nothing appeared to bother him. August 13 he was taken 
sick at Adjuntas and on the 17th was ordered to quarters 
on account of muscular rheumatism, and August 20 was sent 
to the division hospital at Utuado, where he died of rheu- 
matic fever on Sept. 1, 1898. He was buried in the rear 
of the native cemetery at Utuado, September 3, with military 
honors. 

Private Charles E. Johnson. Company M, died Jan. 20, 
1899. at Milford, Mass. 

RD-64 










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